


More than Survive

by SmilesThroughFandoms



Category: Milo Murphy's Law
Genre: A story based on a musical has now become a musical, Based on Be More Chill, Buckle up, Cameos from a couple PnF characters eventually, I'll add more tags when I think of them, It'll probably have more down the road too, M/M, No one else was writing it so I'll write it, Oh look this story has a musical number now, Pnf cameos have offically stared in chapter 4, Slightly Abusive Relationship, This is gonna be pretty gay gang, Unrequited Love, abusive relationship symbolism, and this one tumblr post about Brick getting a gay redemption arc, can you guess who's who?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-29
Updated: 2019-02-01
Packaged: 2019-02-23 09:02:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 75,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13186800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SmilesThroughFandoms/pseuds/SmilesThroughFandoms
Summary: Brick is supposed to be the top guy, the James Bond of B.O.T.T., however after being stuck on Pistachio Duty with no foseeable chance of getting off it and realizing he might be sort of (incredibly) gay for one Vinnie Dakota, he is left feeling beside himself with self-loathing. However, he is presented with an easy and quick way to self-imporvement.How could this possibly go wrong?





	1. Prolouge

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Priestlyislove](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Priestlyislove/gifts).



**_—In the year 2175—_ **

Brick supposed there were worst ways to spend New Year’s Eve. Granted, none came to mind, but he was sure there was something better than his current situation.

The Bureau of Time Travel always had a New Year’s Eve office party, however the event itself was always just a little bit jarring for most. Time Travel often made it difficult to remember exactly how long it’s been since you were in your original time period.

For example; a brown-hair girl in a leather jacket had lamented to him how she and her partner had just gotten back from a mission 1980’s. She had said that, for her, they had only been in the 1980’s for two weeks. However, she and her partner left the past July. Her and her partner returned just today, in time for the New Year’s Party.

Brick had gleamed that she and her partner were sent back to make sure some puppeteer agreed to help out with some movie about a girl wandering through a maze to save her brother, which Brick found mildly impressive. The first-class agent pointed out that there were worse missions to be on, but the brown-haired girl seemed to only want to rant to anyone who would listen, so he had quickly excused himself.

Which led him to be in his current situation. One that even he knew was pathetic, but couldn’t help but be in anyway.

He had turned a corner to find Vinnie Dakota and Cavendish having a conversation with Gretchen. Brick wasn’t able to make out their words, but he saw Dakota gesturing to a nearby vending machine, so he figured it was something along the lines of that. However, Brick wasn’t as concerned with the conversation as he was with one of the men participating in the conversation.

Try as he might, all he could see was Vinnie Dakota.

Once upon a time, Brick was sure he had standards. At least, he thought he did. His partners were of a certain age and appearance, and they had at least looked to keep a respectable position in life.

Vinnie Dakota wasn’t any of that.

Brick had never really noticed gender when looking for potential partners. It was noted, however, that he did tend to favor the opposite gender more often than not.

Vinnie Dakota had gone and thrown the man off his game, and Brick was scrambling to get back on his feet.

If someone asked Brick to pinpoint when these feelings started—which he hoped to God never happened, because he had a reputation to uphold—he would say it happened by utter accident. One moment when Dakota had accidentally touched him, after stepping on that tiny pistachio tree. It had taken Brick a while to realize (because, among other things, he was being chased by a bear) but when he finally got a moment to breathe, he realized it was as if a phantom hand was still lingering around the spot Dakota had touched.

So, it had started. When at the Bureau, Brick would spot Dakota and he would just stare after the man, for a longer than socially acceptable amount of time; honestly, he’s surprised no one’s caught him at this point. Then, he started daydreaming about the man. His laugh, his smile, his hair, and Brick caught himself wondering on multiple occasions what Dakota’s eyes would look like if he wasn’t wearing those sunglasses.

The worst part was when Dakota would so much as brush up against him. He’d be standing in the dining hall at the Bureau, waiting in line, and then Dakota would bump into him. The tracksuit wearing man would apologize, and Brick would stutter out a response, and high-tail it out of there before Dakota could realize what was happening.

To say it was nerve-wracking was putting it lightly.

Yet, here he was. Spending a good portion of the New Year’s Party, pining after Vinnie Dakota. If there was a more horrible way to spend a party, Brick would happily take that over this embarrassing predicament.

“—make such a bad business decision?” Cavendish’s voice alerted Brick that he and Dakota were getting closer to his current location. Startled, Brick grabbed a nearby cheese platter and pretended to be invested in it.

“Is there any real difference between t’flavors?” Dakota asked.

“I think I remember reading somewhere that the dyes were different? I don’t really remember, new timeline and all.” Gretchen shrugged, uncaring as always.

“Personally, I think Red Gush is better.” Cavendish stated.

“I’m pretty sure everyone thinks that.” Gretchen agreed.

Dakota shrugged. “Nothing we can do ‘bout it, really. If Gush Co. wanted Red Gush off the market, then it’s gone.”

“Was it in really any danger to the public?”

“Considering it was banned in the 21st century, when all suburban soccer moms were trying _way to hard_ to keep their children safe and sheltered, I’d say the odds are fifty-fifty.”

“Well, it’s not like we can’t go back and get it if we really want it.” Brick watched out of the corner of his eye as Dakota, Gretchen, and Cavendish walked towards the main buffet table. On their way over, Cavendish said something to Dakota, making the man laugh loud enough for Brick to hear.

It made his heart flutter and he cursed himself for it.

Setting down the cheese platter, Brick contemplated heading home early to drown in his own suffering, but then he heard a scream. A sudden, ear-piercing, pained screaming coming from the next room over. Instincts kicking in, Brick dashed into the other room, only to find the other agents standing in a circle. Most were just staring in shock and horror at what lay at the center, a few were filming on their mobile devices, and Brick spotted about three agents (Mr. Block included) actually trying to help the poor man in the center of the circle who was screaming bloody murder.

Brick spotted Savannah by the wall, craning her neck to see what was happening. He approached her, craning his own neck to try and see what was happening. He couldn’t tell who it was exactly, because Block was in his way, but he saw a man with curly-hair writhing in pain on the floor, clutching his head and crying out in agony “It hurts, get it out! Get it out!”

However, what caught Brick’s attention was the same brown-haired girl he had talked to earlier at the party. She stood right behind the man on the floor with a peculiar look on her face. She didn’t seem to be perturbed by what was happening at her very feet. Instead she seemed to watch curiously, as if the spectacle was a scientific study.

As if sensing eyes on her, the woman glanced up and, upon seeing Brick staring at her, her eyes widened in fear. Brick blinked once, and she was already halfway through the crowd, Brick blinked again and found she was already out the door.

He had a feeling she wasn’t going to get help for the man on the floor.

Block was screaming for someone to call an ambulance as he tried in vain to calm the man down. Soon after, the man on the floor made an unhuman gurgling sound, violently twitched, and slumped to the floor unconscious.

As Block and a few others tried to revive the man, Brick heard sirens and glanced up to see Cavendish and Dakota directing the medics through the door towards the man in question.

Brick turned to his partner and asked, “What happened?”

Savannah shrugged. “I have no idea. Everyone was sort of just talking and mingling when all of a sudden that guy started screaming and spazzing out.”

“Who even was that guy? I didn’t get a good look at him.”

“I’ve seen him around the Bureau, but I don’t remember his name. Chad or Chet, I think? I think it started with a C.”

It took a while, but the man who had the freak out was loaded on the ambulance and whisked away to the E.R. Block had loudly asked the room if anybody saw anything that might have caused this or if anyone saw anything suspicious. Brick’s mind immediately went to the brown-haired girl who had run away form it all, but he dismissed the thought. Maybe she had a history of panic attacks and was nervous around the whole scene? Even he had to admit that idea was farfetched.

Either way, Brick stayed quiet and everyone else more or less reported the same thing; they hadn’t noticed the man until he started screaming and no one saw anything out of the ordinary beforehand.

The New Year’s Eve party came to an unofficial end at that moment.

Block had muttered something about going to check security footage, and had barked at Gretchen to follow him, the latter dragged her feet in response. Savannah had talked to Brick and a few agents for another ten minutes or so before grabbing her coat and mentioning something about needing to get a drink. She smiled and wished everyone a happy new year as she left.

Brick eventually found himself nursing a few drinks and partially listening to a conversation about a new change in the timeline; something about a drink from the 21st century being discontinued? Red Gush, maybe? He wasn’t really paying attention.

Dakota’s laughter caught his attention and Brick’s gaze snapped to the man in question, who was laughing at something Cavendish said before pulling on his winter coat and pulling car-keys out of his pocket. Cavendish followed suit and soon the two men were leaving the building together.

As they did, Brick watched Dakota sling an arm over Cavendish’s shoulder. For once in his life, and he is loathing to admit it, but Brick was jealous of Cavendish and how Vinnie Dakota just seemed to naturally gravitate towards him.

Brick decided then and there that it was going to be a long year.

**_—In the 21 st Century—_ **

Dakota and Cavendish shot out of the time stream and into a convenient store parking lot. Dakota checked the time-period on the dash of their vehicle and smiled. “Cool, we’re in Milo’s time-period, and I don’t think Red Gush has been taken off shelves yet!”

“I’d hope so. Otherwise we’d make this trip for nothing,” Cavendish said.

“Eh, it’s not like we couldn’t go back again to a time where it was being sold.”

“I don’t know how you want to spend your New Year’s Eve, but I am not particularly fond of spending it jumping from year to year in search of a soda-pop.”

“Who says soda-pop anymore? It’s either soda or pop; pick one.” Cavendish looked as though he wanted to retort, but upon entering the convenient store, the older man had to duck out of the way of a baby duckling sailing towards his head while also trying not to slip on the peanut oil that was covering the floor. Dakota wasn’t doing much better, not only had a bunch of jellybeans landed in his hair, but he had to quickly move out of the way of a swarm of frogs hopping towards the exit.

“Aren’t frogs supposed to be hibernatin’ this time of year?” The younger man asked his partner.

“I believe so,” Cavendish plucked a duckling’s feather off his jacket, “but what are the odds of—” Suddenly the absurdity of the whole situation dawned on them and they exchanged knowing smiles.

“Hey Milo, how’s ya New Year’ Eve going?” Dakota called out in the direction the chaos had originated. Sure enough, Milo, Melissa, and Zack all approached them, looking worse for the wear but smiling nonetheless, and each carrying an assortment of snack-bags and bottles of pop.

“Pretty good so far,” Milo told them, “how about you guys?”

Cavendish shrugged, “Well, we can’t complain.”

“What brings you guys here? I thought New Year’s Eve in a time travel agency would be a big deal.” Melissa reached over and plucked a few jellybeans from Dakota’s hair.

“How do ya know it was New Year’s in 2175?” Dakota asked with a smirk.

“Lucky guess?” Melissa shrugged with a knowing smile.

“Good guess, as it _was_ New Year’s Eve when we left.” Cavendish smiled slightly at Dakota, who quietly mumbled something about him being a spoilsport. “And New Year’s Eve is a big—if not slightly confusing—‘deal’.”

“Confusing?” Milo asked.

“When you hop from one time to another, you tend to lose track of what your original timeline is.” Dakota explained.

“Ok, but why’d you leave that party to come here?” Zack asked, perplexed over why they’d leave what he assumed was a pretty awesome future to slum it in the 21st century.

“Well, for one, there was some weird accident, or somethin’, and the party kinda flat-lined after that,” Dakota’s bluntness was sometimes a blessing and a curse, Cavendish observed as the kid’s faces quickly turned to surprise and mild concern, “and apparently, this is now the only place in the time stream to get our favorite _soda_. Notice what I did there, Cav? One word. One-word only.”

Cavendish rolled his eyes as Dakota walked over to a nearby cooler and plucked a couple of Red Gush’s out for them. Zack blinked in surprise. “Wait a minute, Red Gush is discontinued in the future? That’s terrible!”

“You children like Red Gush?”

“Of course, we do!” Milo exclaimed. “It’s only the best brand of soda in the world.”

“It’s better than Green Gush anyway.” Melissa wrinkled her nose in disgust. “I can’t stand the taste of it.”

“Oh, well in that case, here,” Dakota reached further into the cooler before tossing the kids their own bottle of Red Gush, “drink up.”

The kids smiled and went to go pay for those drinks, and the various amounts of snack food and drinks they acquired themselves. Cavendish insisted they be the ones to get the Red Gush, as the kids already had enough to pay for. The kids did not argue over this and happily let the two time-travelers pay for their drinks.

“So, what’re you kids doin’ here?” Dakota asked as the party exited the convenient store.

“Our parents always host a New Year’s Eve party for our friends, and this year, it’s at my house.” Milo explained.

“That sounds exciting,” Cavendish said.

“It was all going ok until the horde of mockingbirds showed up and destroyed the snack table.” Melissa shrugged.

“And then the frogs showed up and, well, you can guess how it went from there.” Zack said.

“I don’t think we could.” Cavendish smiled.

“Wait, aren’t mockingbirds suppose’ to be down south for the winter?” Dakota questioned.

The kids shrugged, chorusing “Murphy’s Law, what can you do?”

“What can you do?” The time travelers parroted back, before sharing a laugh with the kids. Cavendish nodded towards the car. “Well, if you kids like, we could give you a ride back to the Murphy residency. The snacks should be relatively safe in there.”

“Sure! And then you guys can stay for the party.” Milo smiled.

“You sure your parents would be ok with that, Milo?’ Dakota asked.

“Why not? You helped keep me safe when the ‘Pistachion Incident: Part Two’ occurred, besides, my parents are pretty easy going.” Milo shrugged, dropping a few chip bags into a mud puddle as he did so.

“Besides, it’s only—” Zack shifted the bottles of soda he was carrying into one arm, so he could check his phone. “—9:45. You guys can still catch the New Year’s ball drop… Wait, do they still do that in the future?”

Dakota shrugged. “It’s probably a bit flashier than what you guys are used too.” The younger man turned to his partner. “What’d ya say Cav, wanna catch the New Year’s ball drop? Dakota wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and Cavendish turned a bit pink, yet he agreed nonetheless.

After loading the remaining soda bottles and snack bags into the trunk of the busted-up time vehicle, the five-man-band set out for the Murphy house. Of course, Murphy’s Law intervened, and they of course got stuck at every red light possible (though no one seemed to mind), got deterred by a sudden water-tower collapse (which scared Cavendish and Dakota more than it did the kids), and were forced to stop by a sudden stampede of crocodiles in the road (which Dakota knew better than to question this time around).

“So, you kids got any big New Year resolutions or plans?” Dakota asked as the last of the crocodile stampeded pass.

“Our class is putting on a musical in February, and I got the lead role!” Milo exclaimed happily.

“Good on you, my boy. What’s the musical?’ Cavendish asked, happy that, despite his luck, Milo could still get the lead role in something as harrowing as the school musical.

“It’s called _Be More Chill_.” Melissa explained. “It’s about this high school kid who gets tired of being the loser and gets this weird pill to help him be cooler.”

“And then pill starts to turn everyone to zombies; it’s really fun!” Zack smiled.

“Sounds like it,” Dakota said, but the look on his face told Cavendish he thought the concept was a weird.

Apparently, he wasn’t the only one to notice as Zack continued, “I know it sounds farfetched, but the music is really cool and fun to dance too.”

“What reasonable person says ‘farfetched’ anymore?” Melissa questioned.

“I say ‘farfetched’ from time to time.” Cavendish came to Zack’s defense.

“I repeat; what reasonable person says ‘farfetched’ anymore?” Melissa repeated, this time with a more teasing edge. Dakota and Milo chortled as Cavendish rolled his eyes and Zack playfully shoved the girl in question.

After a few more minutes of (thankfully) uneventful driving, the gang arrived at the Murphy’s residence and, after parallel parking on the street, helped the kids take the snacks into Milo’s home. The boy in questioned announced their arrival.

“We’re back~!” Milo sang as the front door loudly banged open, chipping the wood.

“And we have 80% of the snacks we left the store with!” Melissa added.

“That’s a new record,” Mr. Murphy said proudly.

“How’d you manage that?” Sara asked from her spot on the couch.

“Cavendish and Dakota helped us. Where do you want this stuff, Mrs. Murphy?” Zack asked.

“Just set it on the kitchen counter for now.” Mrs. Murphy moves out of the way as Milo and his friends dump the drinks and snacks on the counter behind her before they unceremoniously shed their winter clothing and run to join Sara and Milo’s classmates in the living room.

Mrs. Murphy moved over to the two time-travelers, extending her hand to them. “Bridgette Murphy, my son talks about you two a lot.”

Flattered that Milo mentions them, Dakota shakes her hand. “Vinnie Dakota and Balthazar Cavendish. Nice to meet’cha.”

“The adults are playing Uno in the kitchen, why don’t you join us?”

“That sounds lovely,” Cavendish smiles and lets Mrs. Murphy lead the way.

In the kitchen the two are introduced to Martin Murphy, Richard Chase, and Eileen and Marcus Underwood. Martin explains the other kid’s parents had their own plans, and Richard smiles and says those parents are missing out. Marcus deals the two men in and Bridgette hands them each a glass of champagne.

“Last one left,” She says, pouring Cavendish a glass.

“None for me, thank you, I’ll be driving.” The older man declines.

Dakota reaches for both glasses and smirks, “I’m not driving, I’ll take his glass if you don’t mind.”

The party continues in a relatively calm manner. The adults laugh and talk over their Uno game, and laugh even more when Martin accidentally spills some salsa over the card deck. Occasionally, Dakota would take a break from cards at the kid’s insistence to play their dancing video game. Milo had tried to convince Cavendish, but the man said he wasn’t much of a dancer and politely declined. Dakota tried to convince him to join, and pouted when the man continued to say no.

If Cavendish was being honest with himself, the pout was almost his undoing.

Of course, this was not new information to him. As of late, a lot of what Dakota did made him melt. His smile, his laugh, his teasing (despite what he said aloud, he did enjoy Dakota’s sense of humor, most of the time anyway), his kind heart, and then there was what happened at the Christmas Party.

The two hadn’t talked about it much, aside from the mention of how it was cool their future selves went to all that trouble to make sure they didn’t end their friendship over an eggroll. Of course, they had gotten closer in that short time since it happened. With Dakota coming clean how hurt he felt when Cavendish called him selfish and Cavendish admitting that he actually appreciated Dakota more then he let on.

Then there was all the accidental touches that Cavendish was starting to suspect weren’t so accidental. The way the younger man’s arm would sling around his shoulder without a second thought, the arm grabs, and—the one that gets Cavendish’s heart racing—the hand grab just yesterday at the end of their shift. It lasted only a second, and Dakota had seemed to reluctantly yank his hand away when he noticed what he did, but he didn’t care.

Cavendish would take what he could get. After all, it was Dakota, what else was he going to do?

The next couple hours continued with minimal incidents. Although, after Dakota’s few turns at the video game the kids were playing, Milo had stepped up to take his place. The TV had fallen over, cracking the screen, and causing some smoke to billow out from where it was broken, which of course set off the smoke detectors, sending Diogee into a fit.

Milo, as always, was prepared and had a miniature fire extinguisher to make sure the smoking TV didn’t get to out of control. And Richard and Melissa were able to get the smoke detectors to silence, by throwing them into the bowl of punch the parents had set up for the kids. Everyone shrugged it off, saying it could’ve been worse.

Sara, who had been quietly texting with her own friends on the couch, announce that the Ball would be dropping in five minutes. With the TV out of commission, the Murphy’s had rushed into their bedroom to bring out their spare TV (Cavendish found it a novel concept, because of course they would have a back-up TV) and allowed Sara to hook up her laptop, which had live coverage of the event.

Milo and his friends at this point were scrambling; they were grabbing party horns, noise makers, confetti poppers, cans of silly string, pots and pans, and donning hats and glasses that announced the upcoming year.

One of Milo’s classmates, a girl with a magenta coat, handed the time travelers some noise makers, a can of silly string, and a two party hats. Before they know it, everyone is counting down.

_19_

_18_

_17_

_16_

_15_

Dakota places the hat atop his fluffy head and raises the can of silly string as if toasting him. “To another year, partner?”

Cavendish smiles and, not having anything else to toast with, raises the noise maker he was handed. “To another year.”

_14_

_13_

_12_

_11_

Dakota slings an arm around his partner, beginning to chant with them, oblivious to Cavendish’s reddening cheeks and how suddenly tense he is.

_10_

_9_

_8_

Cavendish lets himself relax, after all, it’s not like Dakota felt the same way. His future self had only come back to save a friendship, nothing else; despite what Cavendish dared to hope. No, Dakota was Cavendish closest friend, and he wouldn’t ruin what he had with… whatever it was he was feeling for Dakota.

Besides, it was forbidden to have romantic interludes with your partner.

_7_

_6_

_5_

Cavendish wrapped his arms around Vinnie’s shoulders, holding his partner as close as social standard allowed, yet reveled in the warmth of his partner. Despite his own feelings, and knowing Dakota didn’t feel the same, Cavendish would be fine with this.

_4_

_3_

_2_

_1_

“Happy New Year!” Cheers erupted and suddenly pots were clanging, horns were blaring, and all the noise the children were making made it hard for Cavendish. However, he noticed something right away. Most adults, and a few of Sara’s friends, were now kissing to harken in the New Year.

The married ones exchanged kisses with their spouses, Richard went over and gave Melissa a peck on the forehead, which she returned with one on the chin before going to making as much noise as possible, Sara seemed to share a shy kiss with a light-brown hair boy around her age, and Diogee had all but tackled Milo to the ground to lick his face.

Suddenly in the middle of all the kissing couples, Cavendish became aware of his closeness to Dakota, something he revealed in moments earlier. The two exchanged tense glances, and Cavendish noted that Dakota’s face looked as red as his felt, before they detangled themselves.

The awkwardness that usually followed such interaction was prevented, however, as suddenly Zack had launched a silly-string attack at the two men.

While Cavendish spluttered indignantly, Dakota wiped most of the string off himself, before smirking confidently at the boy, “You really wanna start this, Zack?”

“You know I do.” Zack replied calmly, holding his weapon at the ready.

“Then it is war, then.” Dakota smiled before launching his own silly-string based attack on Zack. Though, the man should’ve thought it through more. While he got the first good strike in, suddenly Dakota found himself in the middle of a silly string battles with all of the kids.

In the end, Dakota more resembled a ball of sticky string than a man.

Cavendish smiled fondly and picked a few pieces from the man’s hair. “What am I going to do with you?”

“While I’d prefer dinner and a show, I’ll settle for some help getting me out of this sticky web I’m in for now,” That teasing smirk that made Cavendish melt was back. Despite his, more than likely, obvious blush, Cavendish helped his partner to his feet, smiling just a bit at their close proximity.

The spell, if it had even been there, was broken when a shattering in the kitchen was heard. Everyone turned to see Milo and Diogee surrounded by a few shards of glass, the leftover punch, and the broken smoke detector on the floor. “My bad, everybody! Go back to the party.”

Dakota laughed, and Cavendish rolled his eyes fondly. Both men decided then and there that this was going to be a good year.


	2. More than Survive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brick, after a long day of everything going to shit, comes to realize that he's not thriving, in fact, he's just barley surviving.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the record, I imagine Lotte would be voice by Mandy Gonzalez if this were an actual cartoon.

**_–In the year 2176–_ **

Brick groaned as his alarm clock woke him up. The small headache reminded him that he both drank a bit too much last night and stayed up too late as well. Smacking the off button, Brick pushes himself up, contemplating playing hooky but ultimately deciding to get ready for the day.

Going about his usual routine of a shower, shave, meticulously hair grooming, clothing, and breakfast is the easy part. Those in between moments, those moments are what make him a nervous wreck.

He had dreamed of Dakota last night. Brick buried his face in his hands; even admitting that to himself was nerve-wracking.

The dream hadn’t been PG either. Not even PG-13.

It had started out simple enough. Just the two men talking in Brick’s penthouse. And then the kissing started, and Good Lord was Dakota good at kissing! Then it sort of escalated from there; Dakota’s hands were everywhere at once and Brick couldn’t keep his hands to himself, not that he wanted to.

Soon they were both panting; breathlessly pulling the other as close as possible and utterly intoxicated with the others presence. After that, clothes were coming off rather quickly and things were about to get hot and heavy—

Brick winced as he nicked is chin while shaving, distracted by his thoughts.

“Get a grip…” The man told himself.

It was just Vinnie Dakota, after all. This was just a phase. A two-month long phase. Brick shook his head. Despite his reluctance to do so, he admitted to himself he had it bad.

Brick adjusted the tie on his suit one last time—he wasn’t sure why he bothered with the suit anymore, Block would probably stick them on Pistachio Duty again—before grabbing a muffin from his kitchen. As he chewed his muffin he contemplated taking his Camaro, but decided he would take the Future-Subway.

Being one of the top agents at B.O.T.T., he was able to afford any house he wanted. He knew for a fact Savannah had a high-end floating apartment, and she quite liked it there, often asking why he didn’t get one for himself. It’s not that they weren’t luxurious or enjoyable; it’s just Brick had always suffered from motion sickness, and floating houses were not of much help. His penthouse was high-end, on the top floor, and in the best district money could get you into.

Locking his apartment, Brick made his way to the Future-Subway station a block away from his house.

On the way, Brick passed a few vintage-newspapers stands and (out of habit) glimpsed at a few headlines. The headline: _‘Dangerous Wonder-Drug Lost in Time’_ caught his attention. Fishing out a couple dollars from his pocket and handing it to the paper-boy, Brick grabbed a copy.

Arriving at the station, the first-class agent continued to read as he boarded a subway.

_‘A wonder-drug estimated to be created some time in the 21 st century has gone missing. Usually, the Bureau of Time Travel would have no trouble fixing such issue, but with sudden computer viruses popping up at every possible inconvenience, the organization has had some trouble gaining any solid information.’_

Finding a relatively clean seat, Brick blinks in surprise. Even he hadn’t known that.

_‘Ironically, what_ is _known about this supposed wonder-drug is its false name. Rumors and conspiracy theorist have made many believe the name of this drug is Super Quantum Unit Intel Processor, or SQUIP for short. However, the Bureau of Time Travel’s public relation’s department has confirmed that the only way the word SQUIP has any connection to the 21 st century is a book entitled _Be More Chill _and a musical of the same name, in which the “SQUIP” plays an antagonistic role. The Bureau did not get back with the publishing house in time for any further comment, but this reporter knows for certain they will make one at their own time.’_

Brick folds the paper in half and tucks it under his arm as he stares out the window. New Year’s was, to him and most others anyway, a week ago. Usually, the Bureau is a bit more on top of new developments and hazards to the timestream, especially at the beginning of a year. However, this apparent attempt to hack the Bureau’s computer has stalled most progress.

Smirking confidentially as the future-subway slows to a stop, Brick prepares to exit. “I know what I’m doing today.” Surely Pistachio duty would come second to something as horrible as this.

Stepping off the subway, Brick begins the walk to the Bureau. Luckily, it’s only an extra block until he gets to the building. Unluckily for him, there’s a small Future-Starbucks in the station where Brick is supposed to exit.

Why is that unlucky? Because Vinnie Dakota just so happens to be there.

There is just something about the way Dakota looks that morning; bundled up tight in winter clothing, fluffy hair poking out from a small stocking cap, and that God-Damn smile that reduces Brick to a puddle every time he sees it is on his face—he’s starting to wonder if that smile ever leaves his face— and Brick finds that Vinnie Dakota is beautiful.

The time-traveler finds he can’t move. He’s to transfixed in the spell Dakota has unknowingly cast on him. Brick just stands in place for a couple minutes and watches as Dakota pays for two cups of coffee, entranced by how the light hits the shorter man in just the right way.

“Hey, dick-waffle, move it will you!” Brick is shoved rather roughly from behind. As he stumbles forward, a woman with short green hair wearing a pair of sunglasses and a leather jacket storms past him. “I have places to be, you ass-wipe!” The woman flips him off before storming up the steps to the station’s exit.

Once Brick regains his footing, he glances over to see Dakota half-way up the exit’s steps, two cups of coffee in his hands. Thankfully, it seems as though Dakota didn’t catch him staring. Brushing himself off, and giving himself a couple seconds so it won’t look like he followed Dakota out of the Future-Subway, Brick starts his trek to work.

**_–At the Bureau of Time Travel–_ **

When working for the Bureau of Time Travel, one has to expect a certain level of peculiar or even unexpected events to occur. Whether it be someone walking through the foyer dressed as if they came from either the 1960’s or 1560’s, or a small gaggle of people going on about some minor scale threat (like an agent accidentally bringing swine flu back with them), or even seeing multiple versions of themselves from a different point in time.

Brick has grown accustomed to all of these (he actually holds the unofficial office record for how many times he’s spotted another version of himself in his timeline). However, what Brick hasn’t grown accustomed to is walking into the B.O.T.T. Headquarters and hearing an angry female shout “Get your sweaty paws off me, shit-blender!” followed by the sound of someone hitting the floor hard.

Brick quickens his pace until he reaches the beginning of a semi-circle. At the center, the same green-haired girl who flipped him off in the subway stands over a curly-haired, unconscious man who, from what Brick can see, is already suffering from a broken nose. The green-haired girl turns to Block, who is glaring at her from the other corner of the room. Brick spots Savannah at his side, manila folder in hand.

“Blockhead, I don’t give a flying _fuck_ what you say; there is no way, no how, that I’ll be his partner!” The green-haired girl points at the curly-haired man on the floor.

“I don’t know what else to tell you; there are no other available agents for reassignment.”

“Then I’ll fly solo,” The green-haired girl wrinkles her nose in disgust at the man on the floor, “as long as I’m not with this piece of shit again, I’m fine.”

Block rolls his eyes. “You of all people should know the Bureau doesn’t allow agents to work by themselves, not after the Summer of 2123.”

The green-haired girl gasps in faux joy. “You mean I don’t have to work with Shitty McDick-Face anymore _and_ I get the day off? You, Mr. Blockbrain, have made my day.” The girl turns on heel, smiling like the Cheshire Cat, as she waltzes towards the exit.

“You know that’s now what I meant!”

“I can’t hear you, Blockhead… even though I’m not outside the building yet.” Once she leaves, Block is left standing over the man’s unconscious body. Facepalming, the Head of the Bureau barks an order for somebody to get the man to medical ward in the Bureau before stomping off himself, mentioning how the paperwork for this incident isn’t going to be pretty.

Watching as a couple agents reluctantly go to help the poor man, Brick makes his way over to Savannah. “Dare I ask what the hell just happened?”

Savannah shook her head in disbelief. “That girl just walked in, started shouting at him,” she points to the agent on the floor, “before knocking him out.” Savannah pauses and narrows her eyes at the unconscious agent. “Does he look familiar to you?”

Brick gives the man a once over before shrugging. “Kind of. We’ve probably passed the guy who knows how many times.”

“I don’t know, something about this seems familiar…” Savannah trails off and Brick glances at the man one more time before he disappears out of sight. Now that he thinks about it, the curly-haired, unconscious agent being dragged away does seem familiar to him somehow. The whole situation feels familiar

“It’s nothing important.” Brick waves her concerns off. “Did you see the headlines?” Brick hands her the newspaper. She skims the article and, judging by her reaction, he wasn’t the only one left out of the loop. “I’d say I know what we’re going to do today.”

Savannah shakes her head and hands him the manila folder. “Pistachio Duty, again.”

Brick groans. “Again? What the hell is Block’s problem?”

“Why are you asking me? I tried to get us off of Pistachio Duty, but he was adamant about it.”

“Apparently, you didn’t try hard enough.”

“Well, excuse me if a man getting knocked out five feet away from us interrupted our conversation.”

“You could have tried talking to him afterwards.”

“He stormed off!”

“You could have _followed_ him.”

Savannah groaned and began walking away. “At least I tried to do something about it. _You_ haven’t done much of anything lately.”

“I’ve done things!”

“Sure, you have.”

Brick roughly shoved the folder containing details of their mission into his coat pocket. “Let’s just get this over with.”

“Fine.”

“ _Fine_.” Savannah glares at him.

“Do you always have to have the last word?”

Brick glances at his partner over his shoulder, “You’re one too—oof!” Brick stumbles back after having crashed into someone. As the first-class agent is about to apologize, he freezes.

Meanwhile, Vinnie Dakota stands in front of him, holding a cup of coffee in his tense hand. After a second, in which the smaller man makes sure none of the contents of his drink have spilled, Dakota chuckles. “That was a close one. Don’t wanna pay that much money on a drink only to have it spilled, am I right?”

“Um, I—uh.” Is Brick’s eloquent response.

Dakota doesn’t seem to notice, patting his shoulder before walking off. “Sorry ‘bout that, by the way.”

“Uh, um…” Brick watches as Dakota rejoins Cavendish, who also has a cup of coffee in hand, no doubt the second one Dakota bought, and the two men proceed toward the exit. Cheeks burning, Brick adverts his eyes, suddenly finding himself very interested in the floor.

Savannah pokes him in the arm, rolling her eyes as she walks towards the exit. “Whenever you’re finished doing whatever the hell it is your doing, we have a mission.”

Brick glares at the floor. “ _We have a mission_. That’s you, that’s what you sound like.”

**_–In the 21 st Century–_ **

Brick had mixed memories about his high school days. Some were good, some were bad, some were just sort of ‘meh’. That didn’t stop him from feeling a bit of nostalgia as he and Savannah set-up shop. ‘Shop’ being a Pistachio stand alongside a few other concessions outside the gym at Danville High School as a basketball game went on.

Brick had played a few sports during school, mostly football and track though, so he wasn’t particularly interested in the game going on inside the gym. Occasionally, a group of teenagers would come out of the gym, laughing and cheering, order a few pistachios, among other drinks and snacks, before heading back into the gym.

It looked like it was shaping up to be another slow, boring mission. Until two middle school-aged children, a girl in a magenta jacket and the boy who Brick recognized as the one who got into his limo with Cavendish and Dakota that one time laughing emerged from a darkened hallway.

“C-c-c c’mon, c-c-c c’mon, go, go! C-c-c c’mon, c-c-c c’mon, go, go!” The two of them laughed, doing an odd little run-dance as they entered the concession area. The boy glanced around, still smiling, before asking “What did the others want again?”

The girl held up a finger before pulling a list from her pocket. “Melissa wanted some chips, Zack wanted a bottle of water and some popcorn, Bradley wanted a bottle of Red Gush, Joni and Chad wanted pistachios and some fizzy orange soda, Mort wanted _two_ bottles of water and a chocolate bar, and Lydia wanted some hard candy.”

The two looked at the concession stands, which were perfectly split down the middle, before the boy spoke up. “I take the left side and you take the right?”

“Sounds like a plan to me, Milo.”

As the two kids set about getting their snacks, Brick nudged Savannah. “Isn’t he—?”

Savannah nodded, narrowing her eyes at the boy. “What’s he doing here?”

The woman selling candy bars next to them gestured to the hallway he and his friend emerged from. “They’re probably apart of the middle school play. The high school’s letting them use their auditorium since the middle schools was flooded the other day.”

Savannah blinked. “How do you flood an auditorium?”

The boy, Milo, from his spot at a nearby vending machine shrugged. “Well, in my experience, you have to get chased down by some alpacas while also chasing a tow-truck that left with your math homework.”

While the two time-travelers were trying to process how any of what he just said made sense, a screw on the Pistachio cart came loose. The screw rolled into the gym, where a nearby teenager happened to be walking. The teenager slipped and lost her balance, tripping and falling onto a nearby table, sending the high school basketball team’s merchandise flying into the foyer. A foam finger from the table sailed through the air until it got jammed in the broiler of the Pistachio cart.

Brick and Savannah, still a bit perplexed by the situation as a whole, were a bit shocked when Milo and his friend yanked them out of the direct vicinity of the exploding Pistachio stand—which careened from the foyer into the gym, destroying the scoreboard.

The children wince at the damage done, and the two-time travelers are left in shock. Savannah is the first to recover, as the girl in the magenta coat waves a few dollar bills in her face before gesturing to the two bags of pistachios the time-traveler has managed to hold onto.

As Savannah exchanges the remaining Pistachios, Brick glares down at Milo, almost accusingly. The boy only shrugs helplessly before gathering up the snacks and drinks he bought. “Sorry about that.”

As the two children leave, Brick feels a headache coming on. “This is going to be a lot of paperwork…”

**_–About an hour later–_ **

As it turns out, Brick was right, there was a lot of paperwork. However, the moment he and Savannah submitted their reports of what happened, Block had called them to chew them out for their incompetence. Saying how it shouldn’t be possible for two agents of their caliber to mess up something so simple as protecting a green nut. The grouch had also added that if things didn’t change, quickly, they’d both be in big trouble.

Suffice to say, after everything that just happened to them, the two were in a rotten mood and had resorted to their only “effective” way of coping with it; blaming each other.

“I’m just saying, if you hadn’t upset him with almost letting Texas cease to exist, Block would be a lot less likely to scream at us.” Savannah told Brick matter-of-factly.

Said agent scoffed. “First of all, the fact Texas almost ceased to exist is all your fault. Second, if you hadn’t _tattled_ on Cavendish and Dakota, we wouldn’t be stuck on Pistachio Duty!”

“’Tattled’? Oh my god, how old are you?”

“Old enough to understand that’s basically how we got into this mess.”

“Oh, so you’re blaming me?”

“Well, I see no one else who is at fault, here.”

Savannah rolled her eyes before fixing him with a glare. “Try looking in the mirror once and a while, huh?”

“I do, in fact,” Brick smirked to himself, “and for the record, I like what I see.”

“You’d be the only one…”

“Oh, like you’re one to talk—”

“If you want to live to see the end of the week, I recommend _not_ finishing that sentence.”

“What’s the matter? Insecure about your looks?”

Savannah shook her head, increasing her pace as to walk past him. “Y’know what? I’m not dealing with this right now.”

As she continued to walk away, Brick rolled his eyes. “Where are you going?”

“To warm up the Time-Limo. It’s practically two degrees outside, it’ll take a second to warm up.”

“So, you forfeit, and I win?”

“Is everything a competition to you?”

“Again, you’re one to talk.” Brick could have sworn Savannah mumbled something like “Go to hell” but he couldn’t be quite sure. The first-class agent decided that he—and by extension, Savannah—each needed some time to cool off before regrouping to head back to the future.

However, Savannah was right. The temperature outside was dangerously low. Not wanting to get frost bite, Brick glanced around the area until he found a small café at the end of the block. Figuring a hot cup of coffee was about the best thing he could get right now, Brick made his way over towards the small establishment.

Of course, because he was the universe’s punching bag at this point, the Milo-boy from earlier, accompanied by the two youths Brick remembered he and Savannah chased into the sewers, came running up from behind him.

_“~I don’t wanna be a hero, just wanna stay in the line. I’ll never be Rob DeNiro! For me, Joe Pesci is fine. So, I follow my own rules, and I use them ass my tools, to stay alive. I don’t wanna be special—no, no—I just wanna survive~”_ The three children screamed-sang as they jogged up from behind Brick. Dodging pass the man, continuing to sing their odd little song without any real beat or melody, laughing as they did.

Brick paused and watched the children suspiciously. They were there when he and Savannah got their Time-Limo trashed, Brick remembered passing their campsite while he and Savannah were chased by a bear in the forest, and that Milo boy was there when their latest Pistachio mission flopped. If he didn’t know any better, Brick would say those kids had something to do with all this bad luck.

As Brick got closer to the café, he noticed the children seemed to be going through a very specific set of steps. Though they weren’t taking it seriously at the moment, not by any means, the kids seemed to have rehearsed it before. As the man was about to enter the café, he heard quite the ruckus.

“C-c-c c’mon, c-c-c c’mon, go, go! C-c-c c’mon, c-c-c c’mon, go—whoa!” The youths odd sing/scream combination was interrupted by sudden yelps and a couple low thuds on the ground. Brick heard a few moans of pain, moans that definitely were not coming from the children, and blanched.

“My foot, I can’t feel my foot!” The red-headed girl shouted in a panic.

“That’s _my foot_ , Melissa!” Dakota groaned, gently yanking his leg out of Melissa’s grasp.

_Why?_ The man thought. _Why now, after everything that went wrong today?_ Brick ducked into the alley by the entrance of the coffee shop before, in a panic, glancing back to where he once stood.

Cavendish and Dakota were gently helping the three children to their feet. Thankfully, neither party seemed to notice Brick was there or had even been there. Quietly sighing in relief, Brick ducked back into the alley, ready to wait this interlude out so he could catch up with Savanah and go back to the future.

“You kids ok? No sprained whatsis, no broken whatchamacallits, no missing thingamajigs?” Dakota asked.

The other boy laughed and shook his head. “Nah, just a bruised backside. We’re fine.”

“What were you kids doing, anyway?” Cavendish asked.

“We were walking home from play rehearsal!” Milo smiled. “We’ve got the first two songs stuck in our heads, so we figured we’d sing on the way home.”

“And dance on the icy sidewalks?” Cavendish raised a brow.

Melissa shuffled her feet in slight embarrassment, “Ok, that might not have been our best idea…”

“For what it’s worth, you kids had some good moves.” Dakota scratched his chin. “I especially liked that part where you slid on your feet and crashed into Cav and I. What was that called?”

The children giggled before unanimously shouting “The Murphy Shuffle!”

That got a laugh out of Dakota, causing Brick’s heart to beat a mile a minute from where the agent was hiding. Peeking out from his hiding spot, Brick observed the group more closely, especially Vinnie.

“Yeah, that’s a good move. I’ll have t’remember that one next time I go out dancing. Just picture it, I’m at the club and I bust out this bad boy,” The smaller man shuffled his feet, sliding a bit on the ice before leaning onto Cavendish, smirk in place, “I’ll be the talk of the town.”

Brick smiled dreamily as he watched Vinnie do that weird little dance. On anyone else, Brick would say they looked like an idiot. Yet Vinnie made it work, and it boggled Brick for a moment just how much Vinnie made it work. Sighing, Brick felt himself get lost at just staring at the man. There was snow in his fluffy hair, his nose and cheeks were a wonderful shade of pink due to the cold, and Brick was starting to realize he never wanted to kiss anyone more in his life than in that moment.

Realizing this, however, sent a bolt of fear running through the first-class agent. As Brick slammed his back into the brick wall of the alleyway, he heard Cavendish say “Yes, they’ll talk about what a fool you are.”

Dakota smiled and poked Cavendish in the cheek. “But they’ll say I’mma loveable fool…”

There was a short pause, and Brick calmed his breathing enough to peak his head back out just in time to see Cavendish come to a sort of realization. “Wait a moment, you children weren’t actually considering walking all the way home in this weather, were you?” The two-other time-travelers looked at the children expectantly.

Milo shrugged and said. “Well, we missed the bus home and all our friends left before we did so we can’t ask them for a ride.”

“And Zack’s dad is heling Milo’s mom get Milo’s dad to the hospital after he dropped us off at play rehearsal this morning.” Melissa explained.

The other boy, Zack, added on to this with “And Melissa’s dad had to go put out a fire at the hospital once Milo’s dad got there, Sara is sick in bed today, and my mom’s doing surgery so none of them could really pick us up.”

Cavendish shook his head. “Well, you children can’t walk home in this weather, you’ll freeze to death. Come along, our time vehicle is this way, we’ll take you home.”

“Really?” Melissa questioned.

“Of course!” Dakota smiled, giving her an affectionate noogie. “Can’t have our favorite actors get frost-bite before they’re big debut, eh?”

The children readily agreed and followed the two time-travelers back in the direction of their car. Which, as luck would have it, would be in the direction that Brick just so happened to be hiding. Noticing this, Brick quickly ducked into the shadows of the alley and waited for the group to pass. As they did, Brick felt his face redden as the children said something to make Dakota laugh.

Once they were out of earshot, Brick emerged from the alley and, deciding against the coffee, went to go find Savannah.

Brick, feeling dejected, kicked a small ball of slush as he walked on. Was this how it was going to be from now on? Failing the simplest of missions and then ducking out of sight whenever Vinnie Dakota reared his stupidly handsome face? Brick frowned.

He couldn’t continue doing this. Brick needed to figure out a way to do more than just the bare minimum to survive.

 

**_–In the year 2176–_ **

“At least the renaissance potties weren’t so horrible this time around.” Dakota pointed out as he and Cavendish exited their time vehicle. By regulation, all agents had to keep the vehicles they used during missions parked in the Bureau’s Garage. That way, if something happened while on duty, the vehicle could (usually) be easily fixed upon returning.

“Yes, I suppose there is _that_ positive aspect of today. It was still incredibly cold out.” Cavendish mumbles, handing the keys back to the man at the desk, who seems more occupied with a game show he’s watching than the time-travelers before him.

Once out of the man at the desk’s ear shot, Dakota whispers in Cavendish’s ear. “Plus, we didn’t have to worry about the pistachios today because Milo did us a favor.”

That made Cavendish smile, just a bit. Milo had told the time-travelers about how Murphy’s Law had sent the Pistachio Cart that Brick and Savannah were stationed at crash into a scoreboard. Cavendish was grateful, as there were only so many times the two could “accidentally” run into the two first-class agents before things became awkward and suspicious.

Well, now that Cavendish thought about it, Brick seemed to be acting awkward whenever they were around; more specifically, Brick would act awkward whenever Dakota was around. His face would turn a bit pink, he would tense up, and he’d only be able to speak one or two words at a time, and even then, it was usually nonsense. But, Dakota didn’t appear to notice, so Cavendish figured it wasn’t a big deal.

“He didn’t know he did us a favor, you know.” The mustached man pointed out.

The younger man shrugged. “I know that, but it was still pretty helpful.”

The two reached the end of the garage’s hall. At the end of the hall, there were two wooden double doors that would lead into the main building. As Dakota was about to reach for one of the doors, it opened from the other side and out stepped the green-haired girl they had seen knock a man out earlier that day.

“Oh, sorry, excuse me.” She said, taking a step back to let the two men pass.

“Nah, you’re fine. Go ahead.” Dakota moved aside and gestured to let her pass. The girl smiled in thanks and squeezed passed the two men. Dakota turned to his partner. “So, Cav, you wanna grab a bite before we head out for the day?”

“Hmm, I suppose we could—”

“Wait a second.” The two men turned to see the green-haired girl had stopped a few feet away from them. She turned around and narrowed her eyes slightly at Cavendish. “Balthazar Cavendish? Is that really you?”

A bit confused, Cavendish nodded slowly. “Yes?”

The girl smiled brightly. “Oh my gosh, I can’t believe it, look at you! I haven’t seen you in so long.”

Cavendish exchanged a quick glance with Dakota, who only shrugged helplessly. Cavendish turned back to the woman and smiled apologetically. “I’m sorry miss, but do I know you?”

“You don’t recognize—wait, it’s the hair, right?” The girl gestured to her short, neon green hair and smiled. “Yeah, that’s been tripping a lot of people up. It’s me, Lotte Landero!”

“Lotte Landero…” A light went on behind Cavendish’s eyes and his face lit up. “My goodness, Lotte!” The two time-travelers shared a quick hug before Cavendish pulled away. “I haven’t seen you in ages.”

“I know! For me it’s been about five years now.” Lotte winced slightly.

Cavendish shook his head. “You make me feel old, for it’s been much longer for me.”

“Damn time-travel, am I right?” Lotte smiled before pinching the ends of his mustache. “Man, you did not have this the last time I saw you… and you didn’t have grey hair, either.”

“I don’t feel like you have much room to talk about hair color.”

“Oh hush, it’s a good luck on you. You’re all dapper-y and fancy and stuff!”

“Well you look like you’ve stepped out of a heavy-metal concert.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.” As the woman, Lotte apparently, shoved Cavendish playfully, Dakota shuffled his feet before coughing awkwardly to let the two know he was still there.

“Um, hi. How ya doin’?”

Lotte blushed a little in embarrassment. “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry, where are my manners?” She held out a hand clad in bright cyan nail polish and tacky, bright colored bracelets towards the younger man. “I’m Lotte Landero. I was the one who trained Cavendish when he first joined the Bureau.”

Dakota smiled. “Vinnie Dakota, I’m Cavendish’s partner.”

Lotte’s eyes twinkled mischievously, and she turned back to Cavendish with a knowing smile. “So, _this_ is the Vinnie Dakota I’ve heard so much about, huh?”

With his heart rate picking up ever so slightly and butterflies forming in his stomach, Dakota turned to Cavendish and smiled, albeit shyly, and asked “You mentioned me to other people?”

Cavendish, who at this point was as red as a tomato, coughed. “Well, er, yes I have. Occasionally—”

“Oh, don’t be so modest, Cavendish!” Lotte had slid an arm around Dakota’s shoulder and stage-whispered in the shorter man’s ear “He mentioned you a lot. He says your funny and smart and really fun to be around.”

Dakota, who at this point was floating on cloud nine, didn’t hear Cavendish’s embarrassed huff as he yanked Lotte away. The younger man quickly shook himself out of it, however, and turned to Lotte. “So, you were Cav’s partner back in the good ol’ days, huh? Got any embarrassing stories up ya sleeve?”

“Dakota!”

“What? Like you wouldn’t do the same if you met the person who trained me?”

Ignoring Cavendish’s protests, Lotte pulled out her phone and, after a few seconds of tapping and swiping, flipped it over to show Vinnie the picture on screen. “That’s us back in the day. Hard to believe, right?” It was in fact, very hard to believe.

Vinnie looked between the Cavendish and Lotte that stood before him and the Cavendish and Lotte in the picture. Picture-Lotte had long brown hair and was wearing a frilly pink dress. A stark contrast to the short, green-haired woman in a leather jacket standing before him. And Picture-Cavendish?

“Dude, you don’t have a mustache! And I didn’t know you were a blonde.” Dakota couldn’t stop staring at the picture of how his partner looked back in the day. His blonde hair was still neat and trim, but he was without his usual period get-up (instead wearing the standard issued red-and-black Bureau uniform) and he was without the soft-looking, prim, and proper mustache Dakota had come to know and love.

Cavendish sighed and, desperate to get the topic of conversation off of how he used to look, turned to Lotte, “So, what have you been up to Lotte? Any exciting missions since the last time I saw you?”

After getting her phone back from Dakota, Lotte tucked it into her jacket’s pocket before shrugging. “Well, after I was finished training you, my third-partner and I were assigned to prevent the Gangoo Bird from extinction.”

Dakota raised a brow. “The what-who bird?”

Lotte frowned. “Exactly. After that disaster, Blockhead gave me a new partner and we were sent back to the 1980’s.”

 

“You have to admit, there are worse places to be.” Cavendish patted Lotte’s shoulder sympathetically.

“Still! That guy I got reassigned to was a total pig. I’m glad I don’t have to work with him anymore, then again, I didn’t really give Blockhead much of a choice.”

“What do you mean you ‘didn’t give Mr. Block much of a choice’?” Cavendish asked.

Lotte scowled, “I’d ask if either of you heard what I did this morning to my ex-partner, but I’m pretty sure everyone in this century and the next has heard it by now.”

“Yeah, what was that all about, anyway? Not to pry, or anything!” Dakota added that last part quickly, seeing Cavendish’s warning look.

“The long and short of it was my ex-partner, Chip, is a self-centered, egotistical jerk who can’t keep his hands to himself. Believe me, the prick had it coming.” Lotte’s hand twitched, as if recalling something this Chip guy had done to make her angry.

“Well, you don’t have to work with him anymore. So, that’s good!” Cavendish smiled.

“Not to mention it looked like ya broke the guy’s nose, so you defiantly got the last laugh.” Dakota assured her.

Lotte smiled before turning away, forlornly. “Yeah, but that bad news is that unless I find some agents I can slum it up with temporarily, Blockhead’ll fire me!”

“That’s terrible!”

“I know! Where am I going to find other agents, who are willing… wait a minute,” Lotte’s face lit up and she turned to the two-time travelers, “what if I just tag-along on your missions?”

This suggestion caught Cavendish and Dakota off-guard. Seeing as how they were the lowest of the low and Lotte, their superior, was asking to tag-along on their missions. “Well, I—”

“Please, you guys? I won’t get in the way and I can be a big help!” Lotte begged, hands clasped in front of her.

Cavendish rubbed the back of his neck, awkwardly. “Well, Lotte, our missions aren’t necessarily… _glamourous_.”

“Don’t care, I’ll do whatever it is you guys do.”

“We clean out renaissance potties.” Dakota said bluntly.

Lotte’s nose crinkled a bit before she shrugged. “While it’s not ideal, count me in.”

The two men were beyond shocked. “ _Really_?”

“Of course! I really don’t wanna be paired back up with Chip-the-twit and I don’t wanna lose my job. So please, please, please, _please_ could I tag-along with you guys until I find myself a new partner?”

Cavendish and Dakota exchanged a look before smiling slightly and shrugging. “Alright, it sounds like we have an arrangement.”

“Welcome to the crew!”

Lotte squealed happily before tackling the two men with hugs. “You two won’t regret it, I promise! Dakota, I just know we’re gonna be great friends, and Cavendish, we have a lot of catching up to do.” After releasing the men from the hug, Lotte was practically beaming. “I’m gonna go find Blockhead and tell him about our little arrangement. I’ll catch up with you two later, ok?” The green-haired woman didn’t give the men time to respond as she dashed back into the Bureau proper.

The two men waved good-bye to their new partner. “She seems nice,” Dakota noted.

Cavendish nodded. “Oh yes, she’s quite friendly… If you don’t get her angry, of course.”

Dakota nodded and, after a bit of silence, smiled cheekily. “So… you think I’m funny?”

Cavendish blushed a bright pink. “I have no idea what you’re referring too.”

“It’s fine, Cav, a lot of people think I’m funny. Guess it’s just my _smart_ sense of humor.”

“Dakota, please stop.” Cavendish shook his head in embarrassment.

“What, I thought you said I was fun to be around?”

“I better go check on how Lotte’s doing with Mr. Block. Make sure everything transitions smoothly and all…” Cavendish turned and all but bolted through the doors. Dakota was close behind though, smiling like an idiot all the way.

Because wouldn’t you be walking on sunshine if you just found out your crush thought you were funny, smart, and fun to be around?


	3. Almost Hopeless

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Milo, Melissa, and Zack are introduced to Lotte who helps them give Cavendish and Dakota their much needed confidence boots. Meanwhile, Brick meets someone who makes him an interesting offer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For reference, I picture Chip being voiced by Zachary Levi.

**_–In the 21 st Century–_ **

The busted up, lemon of a time vehicle shot out of the timestream and into Danville High School’s parking lot, sliding a bit on the ice until it slowed to a stop an inch away from a lamp-post. Lotte shook her head and giggled. “That’s _one way_ to make an entrance.”

Cavendish exhaled, still gripping the steering wheel tightly. “Unfortunately, that seems to be our _only_ way to make an entrance.”

“It could be worse.” Lotte said with a smile. “Statistics show that 2% of icy-road car crashes end in fatalities.”

Dakota raised a brow at her in the rear-view mirror. “Ok, your point bein’?”

“My point is that we could have died horribly in a car crash and isn’t it great to be alive?”

“Kinda a morbid fact to start the night off.” Dakota pointed out.

“Statistics don’t lie.”

“What’re you, a computer?”

Cavendish rolled his eyes at the two before exiting the vehicle. “I believe Lotte was, in her own way, trying to lighten the mood.”

Lotte kicked the door open. “And I don’t know about you two, but I consider the mood lighte—what’re we doing at a high school, I thought we were going for burgers?”

Cavendish and Dakota exchanged nervous glances. “Um, well, the thing is—”

“We’re outta gas!” Dakota blurted out. Cavendish knew that face-palming at this particular junction would cause Lotte to grow suspicious, so he settled for a slight shake of the head.

“Out of gas? I thought the Bureau filled up the tanks of every time vehicle at the start of the day.”

Cavendish tugged at his collar. “Well, er, sometimes they… forget to do ours?”

Lotte blinked at the two men, obviously unconvinced. “Really?”

“Yeeeees?” Dakota smiled nervously at the green-haired girl.

Lotte readjusted her sunglasses before sighing. “Let’s just pretend I believe that phony-baloney bullshit so we can move past this.” The two men sighed in relief. “I’ll just call a tow-truck to come get us… Huh, that’s weird. I could’ve sworn I charged my phone before I left for work today.” Shrugging and stuffing her phone back into her pocket, she held out a hand. “Gimme one of yours so I can call—”

“Oh, I can’t. I, uh, left it at my apartment!” Cavendish smiled meekly.

“And I actually don’t have my phone on me.” Dakota said sincerely. “I haven’t found time to replace mine after we drove Milo home the other day.”

“In your defense, how were we supposed to know you left it on the roof of the gelatin truck?” Cavendish told his partner.

“Who’s Milo? And more to the point, Dakota why was your phone on top of a gelatin truck?” Lotte asked.

“Milo’s a friend of ours and we were driving him and his friends home from rehearsal the other day. And my phone was on a gelatin truck because I threw it at an emu.” Dakota explained.

Lotte stared at the men in confusion. “Riiight. Well, we are at a high school. There should be a phone in there we could use, if it’s even open at this hour.” Lotte narrowed her eyes in the direction of the nearest entrance. “It is open right? I can’t tell, it’s too dark.”

“You’re wearing sunglasses at night.” Cavendish pointed out.

“Well, so am I!” Dakota came to Lotte’s defense.

“And can _you_ see if there are any lights in that building?”

“Of course, I can!” Dakota crossed his arms before narrowing his eyes at the building. “Kinda… that’s a light in the third window, right?”

Cavendish actually did facepalm that time. “Let’s just go. Obviously, the building is open.” As the three made their way towards the main entrance, Cavendish raised a brow. “Why do you two wear sunglasses all the time, anyway?”

Dakota visibly blanched but Lotte merely pointed at her pair of sunglasses. “I’ve been having some pretty bad migraines lately, these sunglasses help.”

“Oh, so it’s medical?”

“Yup. Doctor’s orders!” Lotte smiled at the tracksuit wearing man. “What about you, Dakota, why do you wear sunglasses?”

“Oh, um, medical reasons too!”

“That’s cool, from a scientific point of view, anyway. What medical reason, if you don’t mind my asking?” Lotte raised a brow.

“Well I do mind, actually.”

“Oh, I’m sorry I—”

“Oh look, the entrance!” Dakota exclaimed a little to loudly to be considered normal. He rushed over and held the door open for his partners. “Ladies and Cavendishes, first!”

The two blinked before Lotte leaned over to Cavendish and whispered “I think the cold is getting to him.” Before walking into the building, giving Dakota a strange look as she did so. As Cavendish followed behind, Dakota held out an arm and made sure Lotte was out of ear shot before he asked Cavendish “Ya sure they’re here?”

“Definitely.” Cavendish said, pointing to a time limo that was parked behind a nearby tree.

Dakota smiled. “Great!” The younger man glanced behind him, Lotte was staring at them expectantly. Dakota leaned closer and whispered “First we’ll distract her, then we’ll destroy the pistachios.” Cavendish nodded in agreement.

When Lotte had went to Mr. Block to announce she would be tagging along for Cavendish and Dakota’s missions, the head of the Bureaus reaction was, first, to laugh as if she just told the world’s greatest joke. Then, once he realized she wasn’t joking, he had repeatedly asked if she was one-hundred percent sure if she wanted to be stuck cleaning renaissance potties for the foreseeable future. Lotte had stated, quite firmly, “I’m not in it for the glory, just the people.” If Cavendish and Dakota weren’t sold on her joining them on missions beforehand, they certainly were now.

Block, after asking one final time if Lotte was sure of her choice (she was), had agreed and said everything would be set up by the next morning. Lotte, before punching out for the night, had tackled the two men in another bone-crushing hug, saying she couldn’t wait to start working with them.

The next morning, as Dakota was getting coffee for the three of them, had come to a sudden and nerve-wracking realization: the pistachios.

How were the two of them supposed to hide the fact that they destroy Mr. Block’s favorite snack from Lotte, who was by all means their superior?

Dakota had confided his concerns to Cavendish in the renaissance. The older man, who was in the middle of looking up as much information on Brick and Savannah’s pistachio mission as possible, had nearly bristled.

It had taken some time, but the two had devised a plan. If they were able to distract Lotte long enough, maybe they could sneak past her, Brick, and Savannah long enough to destroy the little green nuts. The two men were doubtful of there plan, but they didn’t really have many other options.

“Ok, so what’ our game plan?” Lotte asked the two men once they joined her in the school’s foyer. Dakota glanced around and caught sight of Savannah’s silhouette standing in the school’s kitchen. He nudged Cavendish and the man nodded slightly in the direction, he saw it too.

“Uh… we’ll go check and see if there’s a payphone down this way,” Dakota pointed to a darkened hallway towards the back entrance of the school kitchen, “how about you go see if there’s either a payphone or a cell phone we could use down that way?” He pointed towards the hallway that led to an auditorium. The green-haired woman shrugged and started off in that general direction.

Once she was out of sight, the two men crept up to the entrance of the kitchen, careful not to be seen or heard, and peaked their head in.

Savannah was fiddling with the controls of an outdated looking refrigerator while Brick was placing a few gallon tubs labeled _‘Discount Pistachio-Ice Cream’_ into it. “Did you ever get ice cream in your high school lunches?” Brick asked Savannah.

The woman scoffed, tugging on a wire. “We were lucky to have actual meat in our hamburgers.”

“Same. I’m pretty sure my school’s pizza was just cardboard with tomato sauce thrown on it.” Brick set another tub in the refrigerator. “Do you think it’s a little concerning that these tubs have the word ‘discount’ on them?”

Savannah wiped her brow. “The bigger concern is that this fridge has a stamp that says ‘decommissioned’ right by the temperature control gage and yet this school seems to still be using it.”

Brick shook his head. “Man, public school sucks.”

“Just load the rest of the ice cream into the fridge while I fix the temperature gage.” Brick rolled his eyes and reluctantly went back to the heavy-lifting. As the two first-class agents started to bicker about who is doing the more important job; Cavendish and Dakota duck back into the shadows.

Dakota smirks at Cavendish. “You thinkin’ what I’m thinkin’?”

Cavendish nodded. “Indubitably.”

The two agents patiently waited another five minutes, which felt longer due to Brick and Savannah’s petty squabble, before the two first-class agents went to check if there was any more Pistachio-Ice Cream tubs in the back. The two men hid in the shadows as the other two agents passed them by. Once they disappeared down a corridor, Cavendish and Dakota rushed into the kitchen.

“Ok, I’m gonna throw as much ice cream as I possibly can on the floor, you try an’ break the temperature thingy.” Dakota told Cavendish as he tore the lid off of a tub and started scooping out ice cream with his bare hands.

Cavendish rolled his eyes. “At least find a spoon or something! You’ll get frostbite.”

“No time, just start messing with the thingy!”

“It’s called a temperature control—”

“There you guys are! You won’t believe this, but some middle school’s rehearsing a play here and the main teacher involved lent me his phone to call a tow truck, and I swear, he looked exactly like a vampire—why is there Pistachio-Ice Cream on the floor?” Lotte raised a brow at the two men.

Said men stuttered incoherently, not unlike how when Brick and Savannah caught them destroying pistachio-plants a few months ago. Lotte glanced at the fridge and then back to the small amount of ice cream on the floor.

“Wait, aren’t there a couple agents in charge of protecting pistachios from going extinct?” Lotte stepped past the two men, nudging the ice cream with her boot. The green-haired woman gasped in realization. “Are you two _deliberately sabotaging_ an attempt to save our boss’s favorite snack food?”

“Lotte, please, let us explain—” Cavendish tried to cut in.

“Do you two realize how many rules your breaking?” Lotte gave them an incredulous look. “And do either of you realize what the biggest flaw of this plan is?”

Dakota glanced at the floor, preparing for the worst. “That we can’t prove _why_ were doing this to anyone?”

“No, that you didn’t ask me to help!”

Both men looked at their new partner in surprise. Cavendish tilted his head and raised a brow at her. “Um… come again?”

Lotte smirked wickedly and asked, “How long until the shmucks on this mission come back?”

“Uh, they left about maybe two minutes ago?”

“Ok, kind of cutting it close but I’ve done more with less.” Lotte stuffed the borrowed phone in her pocket before rubbing her hands together gleefully. “Ok, I’m gonna need you two to open the lids on all these containers and lay them on their sides _inside_ the fridge. Ok?”

“I guess so but what are you planning on—” Dakota started to question.

“Just step and fetch and don’t ask questions, boys, we’re on the clock.” Lotte told them, kneeling down by the temperature control gage. The two men merely exchanged confused glances before doing as she instructed. Cavendish, out of the corner of his eyes, noticed Lotte pulling wire after wire out of the control panel. At one point, Cavendish could’ve swore he saw a spark of green light shoot out from Lotte’s fingertip and into the control panel, but he figured he was just seeing things.

After placing the cover-panel into place, Lotte dusted off her legs. “They really need to have someone clean this floor. You guys open ‘em up?”

Dakota nodded. “Yeah, but I still don’t get why—”

Lotte glanced behind her and tensed up. “Shut the fridge’s doors, we’ve gotta hide.” Cavendish quickly did as she instructed. The green-haired woman yanked the two men from the kitchen and into a nearby closet, closing the door far enough to not be seen, but leaving it cracked just a bit so they could watch the upcoming spectacle.

Double-checking neither of them tracked any ice cream with them into the closet, Lotte smirked. “In three… two… one.” On cue, Brick and Savannah walked in and jolted at the sight of a small puddle of melting ice cream on the floor.

“I thought you said you closed the door.” Savannah glared at Brick.

“I swear, I did!” Brick reached over the ice cream puddle and yanked the door open. A sudden rush of melted pistachio ice cream came crashing out, getting all over Brick’s pants and shoes. The man cried out in disgust and quickly shut the door before he could make a bigger mess.

“I thought you said you fixed the temperature control gage!”

“I swear, I did!” Savannah held up her hands in defense.

“Yeah, you fixed it alright!” Brick gestured angrily to the stains on his pant legs.

“Oh, so this is my fault?”

“Well it certainly wasn’t mine!”

The two continued to bicker until Savannah got a call from Mr. Block. Brick, refusing to talk to his boss in his state, stormed out of the school kitchen, complaining quite loudly on how expensive the dry-cleaning bill for his pants was going to be. Savannah followed, simultaneously dealing with an angry call from Mr. Block and shouting at Brick to man up.

Lotte stumbled out of the closet, laughing her head off. Cavendish and Dakota were merely smiling at their friends’ ingenuity. “That was incredible, Lotte!” Cavendish said.

“How’d ya get the ice cream to melt that quickly?” Dakota asked, observing the now increasing ice cream puddle.

Between her laughs, Lotte explained, “One of the most exploitable flaws of the Icebox-2000 is its temperature-control gage. Anyone with a basic understanding of machinery and programming could easily re-wire the circuits to change the temperature in extreme variants.” Lotte exhaled and smiled at the two men. “I’ve gotta say, I’m impressed with you two. I didn’t think either of you were the kind to go behind Blockhead’s back and deliberately sabotage is favorite snack food.”

Cavendish rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “We never used to be, but, well, instances arouse.”

“Honestly, I’m a bit surprised _you_ wanted to sabotage the pistachios, Lotte.” Dakota admitted.

“Are you kidding me? Blockhead’s screwed me over too many times to count, it feels good to pay him back.” Lotte smirked impishly. “Besides, this clearly isn’t the first failed pistachio mission anyone’s ever been on—”

“Preachin’ to the choir.” Dakota quipped.

“—and if Blockhead paid any attention to data and statistics, he’d realize there are somethings even the Bureau couldn’t save.”

Just then, a loud crash was heard from down the hall, followed by a few screams of panic, followed by complete and utter darkness. The three time-travelers pulled out their night vision goggles and strapped them on. Lotte glanced around and saw the fridge beside them had shut off completely. “Oh shit, did I do that?”

“I don’t believe so.” Cavendish reassured his old mentor.

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure this is just a coincidence.” Dakota told her. Realization dawned on the two men and they exchanged knowing looks. “C’mon, we better go help them out.”

“Help who out?” Lotte asked.

“Do you remember that Milo-boy we spoke of earlier?” Cavendish asked as the three exited the kitchen and set off down the hall towards the auditorium.

“Yeah. Why?”

“Well, let’s just say that around him, it’s best to expect the unexpected.”

“Like what?”

“Like your phone being stolen by an emu on top of a gelatin truck.” Dakota told her, smiling.

“Or a herd of llamas stampeding onto the football field!” A younger, female voice pointed out. The three time-travelers turned to see Milo, Melissa, and Zack walking towards them, with a few flashlights in hand. Noticing the flashlights, the time-travelers removed their night-vision goggles.

“I didn’t know you two were here.” Milo smiled at Cavendish and Dakota.

“Yeah, our time vehicle shot out of the timestream into your parking lot, but we’re outta gas so we kinda needed to borrow a phone.” Dakota explained.

Lotte glared playfully at the younger man. “Oh, would you just shut up?”

The children glanced at Lotte in mild confusion. “Um, who are you?” Zack shined his light on Lotte.

“Whoever she is, I love her hair!” Melissa exclaimed, moving closer to get a better look at the green-haired girl.

Lotte giggled, flattered. “Name’s Lotte. I’m Cavendish and Dakota’s new-temporary partner. And thank you! I like your jacket.” Lotte told Melissa.

“I’m Milo, and this is Zack.” The sweater-vested youth smiled, gesturing between Zack and himself. Lotte glanced at the other two time-travelers.

“This wouldn’t happen to be the Milo you mentioned earlier, would it?”

“The very same.”

Lotte turned to the children, holding out her hand. “Nice to meet you. Now, explain this to me, how did an emu get on top of a gelatin truck and what prompted Dakota to throw his phone at it? And, more importantly, _why_?”

The children chuckled before Milo shrugged. “That’s just Murphy’s Law.”

“Murphy’s Law?” It was as if a light went on inside Lotte’s head. “The principal of theory that states that anything that can go wrong tends to go wrong?”

Milo nodded. “Yeah! Wow, I’ve never heard anyone summarize it so succinctly before.”

Dakota nodded in agreement. “Yeah, she’s our little human computer, this one.” Lotte chuckled awkwardly.

“I have encyclopedic knowledge of a lot of stuff, what can I say?”

Cavendish smiled at his mentor before turning to the children, gesturing to the surrounding darkness. “Am I a bit presumptuous to assume that this is a Murphy’s Law scenario?”

“Nope, you’re on the nose, actually.” Melissa said before fixing the older man with a strange look. “Wait, ‘presumptuous’… do you have a word-of-the-day calendar or something?”

“My friend Mort and I were rehearsing our song when one of the lights came loose and fell in-between us. I tried fixing it while Melissa, Joni, and Lydia rehearsed their number, but I accidentally cut the wrong wire and well, you can figure out the rest.” Milo smiled meekly.

“Ok, but what’re you kids doin’ out here?” Dakota asked.

“Our director, Mr. Drako, went to go find the person he lent his phone to, so he could call an electrician,” Melissa explained, “so we figured that while everyone else cleans up, we’d go check on the fuse box.”

“Well, half of the problem, solved,” Lotte pulled out the borrowed phone from her pocket, “I’ll just call an electrician for him and return his phone.”

“How do you know this Mr. Drako is the one whose phone you borrowed?” Cavendish asked.

“Hmm, good point.” Lotte turned to the kids. “Does this Mr. Drako look an awful lot like a vampire?”

“Yep.”

“Uh-huh!”

“I’m at least 32% sure he is one…”

Lotte smirked at Cavendish. “Yep, it’s his phone.”

“I think I saw him head off towards the main entrance.” Zack pointed out. “I can show you the way if you want?”

“That’s very sweet of you, Zack. I’d like that.” Lotte smiled.

“Great! While you guys and Zack look for Mr. Draco, Melissa and I will go check the fuse box.” Milo said, turning his flashlight down the next hallway.

“Will you need help with that, Murphy?” Cavendish asked.

“I should be fine, but it’s always nice to have some extra help.”

“Ok, so you’ll go with Melissa and Milo to fix the fuse box and I’ll go with Lotte and Zack to find a vampire-teacher.” Dakota said.

“He’s not a vampire, probably.” Melissa said sternly.

“Why are you going with Lotte and Zack?” Cavendish asked Dakota.

“Eh, there’s six of us here, there’s gonna be two groups; it just feels right.” Dakota shrugged.

**_–A little later, with Cavendish, Milo, and Melissa–_ **

It had taken about ten minutes of stumbling around in the dark to find the fuse box in the very back of the mechanical room at the other end of the school, although six of those minutes could be attributed to switching out the many flashlights that Murphy’s Law caused to break on the way over. It had taken another eight to actually start working with the fuse box, but that’s just because it took Milo and Cavendish some time to find the right screwdriver to open the box with and Melissa had preoccupied herself with chasing away a racoon that had jumped out from behind the water-heater.

So, overall, it was going a lot better than anyone expected it too.

However, Melissa and Milo had a few _ulterior motives_ for why they had agreed to let Cavendish accompany them. Exchanging looks in the dark, they initiated their plan.

“So, Cavendish,” Melissa started, a little out of breath from chasing away the racoon, “could I ask you a question?”

“Hold the flashlight up while I help Milo, and of course.” Cavendish handed her his flashlight before proceeding to help Milo unscrew the panel.

“I don’t really know how to word this, so I’ll just come out and say it; do you like Dakota?”

“Of course, I do,” Cavendish said casually, “we’ve been partners for a long time, after all.”

While Melissa hung her head, Milo chuckled a bit. “I don’t think that’s what she meant, Mr. Cavendish.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, I think she meant do you like Mr. Dakota as in, you know… like- _like_ him?” Cavendish, flustered, dropped his screwdriver in surprise.

He leveled an offended glare at the children that would make grown men shake in their boots, but considering the only source of light at the moment was a dim flashlight, it sort of lost it’s effect. “And what gives the two of you _the right_ to ask me such a question?!”

“Observation, mostly.” Melissa told him, as if it were obvious.

“Observation?”

“Yeah, observation!” Milo chimed in. “We’ve always noticed that the two of you are always together, even if you had the option not too. Like last Christmas Eve!”

“Well, it would be rude to just leave a friend you’re eating dinner with for someone else.”

“That’s true, but even when we went over and wished you guys a Merry Christmas and talked to you and stuff, you guys always kept looking at each other and smiling at each other.” Melissa smiled fondly at the memory. “It was so cute!”

Cavendish prayed to whatever higher power would listen that the children couldn’t see his blush. “I didn’t… look at him more than I should have…”

Melissa and Milo didn’t seem to believe that statement, sharing knowing smiles. “Yeah, but he kept looking at you.”

That got Cavendish’s attention. “He did?”

“Uh-huh! And whenever he did, he was always smiling!”

Cavendish deflated a bit, sighing, “He was probably thinking of a joke… or an egg roll.”

Milo shook his head. “Nope, Dakota wasn’t smiling at you like that.” As Milo successfully unscrewed one screw, he went onto the next. “In fact, I’ve seen that type of smile before! Especially when my dad surprises my mom by bringer her home flowers from work, or when my mom brings my dad his favorite brand of band-aids home, or when I give Diogee his favorite stuffed carrot to play with.”

Melissa sighed and smiled wistfully, “Ah, amour…”

Cavendish shook his head at her comment, unscrewing a screw. As he started to work on the second one, he paused, exhaling quietly. “Let’s pretend that, for a moment, that your hypothesis about me like- _liking_ Dakota is even remotely correct—”

“Which we’re pretty sure is,” Melissa quipped.

“—why do you think he would be remotely interested in me?”

Following that question was the pungent air of self-doubt. Milo and Melissa exchanged looks before Milo asked, “Well, why wouldn’t he?” Cavendish raised a brow at the children, not seeing what they meant.

“Milo’s right; You’re obviously super smart, determined, nice, and just an all-around cool guy!”

“Not to mention your mustache and accent are really cool! And you always dress really well, if not just a bit outdated.” Cavendish smiled at the kids’ praises of him. Apart from Dakota, the mustached man didn’t really have anyone who really thought of him as well as they did.

“Thank you, children, that means a lot to me.” Cavendish said as he began to unscrew another screw. As it fell into his palm, he chuckled mirthlessly. “Say I do like- _like_ Dakota—”

“We’ve _been_ saying that.” Milo told him.

“—I don’t think I’d even know how to go about all of… _this_.”

Melissa patted his shoulder in a supporting fashion. “Well, my dad says that when he met my mom, he just walked up and started talking to her and after that, they did a lot of talking and things sort of grew from there.”

“Really?”

The girl nodded. “Communication is the secret to a happy and healthy relationship.”

“I don’t think I would even know what to talk about…”

“Maybe we could help?” Milo suggested as he went back to work on the final screw. “I mean, we’ve faced evil, sentient pistachio monsters from the future _and_ past and have come out ok; how hard could romance be?” The last screw fell into Milo’s hand, and the boy smiled. “Ok, let’s see what we’re dealing with here.”

Handing the screw in their hands to Melissa, Cavendish and Milo pried the panel off the fuse box and set it on the ground between them, only to pause at the sight of the fuse box itself. Wires, unplugged, beaten, and everything in-between were crisscrossed with outdated buttons, switches, and flips.

“The high school’s fuse box is a lot more complicated than the middle school’s…” Milo commented. As he did so, the flashlight that Melissa had been holding flickered until it went off, bathing in the room in darkness.

“Hang on, I think I still have my candlestick-flashlight and the generator.” Ruffling sounds could be heard as Milo dug through his backpack. At one point, Milo yelped in surprise as a distinctive “Bark!” was heard.

“Diogee, you’re not supposed to be in my backpack!” The dog barked again.

“Hey, Cavendish, could you hold him while I look for the candlestick-flashlight?”

“Of course.” Cavendish held out his hands and waited as Milo blindly searched for the man’s outstretched arms in the dark. Once he did, he plopped the warm, fluffy dog into them and went back to digging. As Cavendish patted the dog’s head, he turned to where he thought Melissa was standing and asked, “Is there anything he _can’t_ fit in that backpack?”

“We’ve tried to fit three anchors in there once, but it just couldn’t be done.” The girl responded.

“You have two anchors in your backpack?”

“Sure do! In case one of them breaks.” Cavendish decided to just continue to pet Diogee’s head and not ponder on how it was possible one could break an anchor.

**_–Meanwhile, with Dakota, Zack, and Lotte–_ **

“Mr. Drako? Mr. Drako?” Zack called out into the darkened halls. He shown his light at every corner or doorway the trio came across. “Mr. Drako, where are you?”

“Here vampire-vampire-vampire.” Dakota called out.

Lotte, who at this point was holding Mr. Drako’s phone in the air in an attempt to get a good signal, gave Dakota an odd look. “What’re you doing?”

“Doing a vampire call?”

“I’m pretty sure that’s _not_ how a vampire call goes.” Lotte tapped on the phone’s screen. “Besides, Melissa said he probably wasn’t a vampire.”

“He might be one though.” Dakota pointed out.

After a beat, Zack turned to Lotte. “So, what did you do before you teamed up with Cavendish and Dakota?”

“Mostly suffer in silence and let anger consume my soul.” Lotte replied nonchalantly before smiling down at the young boy. “But now I have friends, so I’m doing better, probably.”

Zack and Dakota stopped walking and just stared at the green-haired girl in shock. The two exchanged glances, not really sure how to respond to such a statement. Lotte, who eventually noticed her two companions glanced back at them and gave them odd looks.

“C’mon guys… we have to walk together, Zack has the only working flashlight.” Lotte stated matter-of-factly. The two men exchanged one more look before catching up with their green-haired friend. A semi-uncomfortable silence followed as the three walked in silence.

Noticing this, Lotte smirked. “Sooo, Dakota, how long have you and Cavendish been partners?”

Dakota stroked his chin in thought. “A few years now, I guess. I’m not sure how well that matches up with your timeline though.”

“That’s nice.” Another beat. “So… got any hobbies or anything?”

Dakota raised his brow at her, but answered nonetheless. “Not really. I play some instruments and I like eating, though, does that count?”

“I think it does.” Zack smiled at him.

“Eater, huh? Gotta sweet tooth?”

“Oh yeah, you bet.”

“Any particular _type_ of sweet?” Lotte asked, an overly sweet smile on her face.

The tracksuit wearing man pondered this before snapping his fingers. “Cupcakes! Especially chocolate with cream cheese frosting.”

“Aw man, now I’m hungry!” Zack complained. Lotte laughed good-naturedly and tousled his hair.

“Any person to share those hypothetical cupcakes with?” Dakota blinked at the sudden forwardness of her question.

“No. Why do you ask?”

“No reason! No reason!” Another beat followed before Lotte turned back to the other time-traveler. “But if you _did_ have someone to share those hypothetical cupcakes with, is there a _certain type_ of person you would want to share those hypothetical cupcakes with?” The green-haired agent stared at him, looking to be expecting a very specific answer. Dakota noticed this and smiled at her knowingly.

“Lotte, are you trying to pry a _certain type_ of information outta me?” Lotte leaned back and laughed nervously.

“What? Can’t I just get to know my new friend and partner?”

Zack turned to her. “Normally, I’d say yes, but I’m siding with Dakota on this one; these questions seem oddly specific.”

The female time-traveler fiddled with the sleeve of her leather jacket nervously. “Well, ah, the thing is… I may or may not be trying to act as a sort of unofficial… _wingman_.”

Zack looked at her, eyes wide in realization while Dakota merely tilted his head at her in confusion. “Act as a wingman? For who?”

Zack turned and gave the older man an incredulous look. “Really? You have to ask?”

“Apparently.” Dakota shrugged, not understanding the look Zack was giving him. “Whose wingman are you trying to be?”

Lotte studied him, giving him a look that was similar to the one Zack was giving him, before bluntly replying “Cavendish’s. I’m trying to be Cavendish’s wingman.”

Dakota’s heartrate spiked almost immediately, and his face turned crimson. The man laughed loudly and nervously before taking a step back from his two friends. “W-why would you need to do something like that?”

“Well, typically, a wingman is used to get a sort of feel for their friend’s potential partner. This is done by actively engaging in conversation with the potential partner to see if their interests and-or hobbies match up with the wingman’s friend.” Lotte stated, as if reading a book. “But Cavendish doesn’t really know that I’m acting as his wingman so I’m doing this a bit differently.”

“That’s a pretty textbook answer, but I think what Lotte was trying to say was that she’s trying to help you out, dude.”

“Why would I need help?”

“Because you like Cavendish.” Zack stated.

“Yeah, I thought it was obvious.” Lotte said.

“Oh no, it is. Well,” Zack glanced at Dakota with a sympathetic smile, “it is to everyone but Cavendish.”

“It is?” Lotte asked. “Because I’ve seen the looks Dakota gives him when Cavendish isn’t looking, and lemme tell ya, I could write a trashy-romance story based off those looks alone.”

Dakota’s face burned in embarrassment, yet he still managed to give Lotte a warning look. “You realize he’s in middle school, right?”

Zack waved off his concern. “That’s beside the point.”

“Then what is the point?” Dakota asked

“That Cavendish likes you.” Zack smiled.

Dakota glanced at the ground shyly before cracking a tiny smile and glancing up at Lotte, hopeful. “You guy really think so?”

Lotte smirked. “You know I was the one who told you he thought you were funny, smart, and fun to be around, right?”

Zack turned to Lotte, eyes alight. “He said that?”

“Oh, hell yeah, he did!” Lotte crossed her arms, smiling fondly. “And that was just _one_ of the things Cavendish told me about you, Dakota.”

Grinning like a fool, Dakota laughed breathlessly. “I mean… I guess I may like him… a lot… Like, a lot, a lot…”

While Zack let out a quiet squeal, Lotte slung an arm around Dakota’s shoulders. “And I can guarantee you that he likes you too… Just don’t tell him I said that; he’ll have my head.”

Dakota laughed before smiling fondly. “Yeah, that’s something he would do alright…” Dakota frowned before smiling, albeit sadly. “But, I just don’t see what you guys are talking about.”

“You don’t?” His two companions asked in unison.

“Yeah, I don’t. I mean he’s Cavendish and I’m… I’m selfish, eats-to-much Dakota. I don’t think he really likes me more than a friend, and even then that’s being generous.” Dakota turned to continue walking down a hall, but was stopped by Lotte smacking him upside the head. “Ow! What was that for?”

“For being dumb.” Lotte said, as if it were obvious. “Of course, Cavendish likes you! Why wouldn’t he? You seem pretty great to me, and I’ve only known you for twenty-four hours.”

“Really?”

“Yeah!” Zack assured him. “You are smart, funny, and fun to be around, and you’re always so sweet and kind to just about everyone you meet. Not to mention you can rock a pair of sunglasses.”

Dakota smiled at the compliment, readjusting his shades as he did so. Lotte walked over and slung her arm over his shoulder once again. “Y’know, if you need help, I’ve known Cavendish for a pretty long time. I’d be more than willing to help you out.”

“You would do that for me?”

“Technically it’d be for the _both_ of you, but yeah. I’d help.”

“And I can help too. I wrote a few love songs for my old band before I left, so I should be able to help in the romance department too.” Zack offered.

“You were in a band?” Dakota asked.

Lotte snapped her fingers in recognition. “I thought I recognized you earlier, I just didn’t want to say anything. You were in the Lumberzacks weren’t you?”

“That’s still a thing in the future?!”

“Oh yeah, there one of the most popular bands on the _golden-oldies_ stations.” Lotte stroked her chin in thought. “Now how did that song go again?”

“Please don’t—” Zack tried to plead.

“Oh yeah, I remember!” Lotte ignored him and started to sing _“~Chop, chop, chop! Chop away at my heart!~”_

“Mr. Drako! Where are you?” Zack hollered loudly, drowning out Lotte’s singing and Dakota’s giggles. “Come out, come out wherever you are!” The young boy, in an embarrassed huff, took off down the hall, leaving Lotte and Dakota no choice but to follow after him.

Thankfully, there was no more mention of the Lumberzacks after that.

**_–In the year 2176–_ **

Buddy’s Crosstown Pub was one of the few places in Brick’s current timeline that managed to mix 21st century style and fashion with 22nd century technology in a way that was profitable for business. Granted, you couldn’t tell by how dead the bar was at the moment, but that was to be expected. It was a Tuesday after all.

Brick glanced around and, aside from himself and the gruff looking bartender cleaning a spot on the other end of the counter, the only other people in the bar was a homeless looking man passed out in the corner booth and a couple in the bathroom who, judging by the constant moans and shouts, were having a very good Tuesday night.

“At least someone’s having a good day…” Brick mumbled bitterly to himself, drinking his martini (shaken not stirred, obviously).

The agent felt he had the right to be bitter, after the lousy day he had. Not only did he have another _very detailed_ dream about Dakota, but he had slept through his alarm and was therefore late to work. When he finally did arrive at the Bureau, Block (who was in as a foul of mood as ever) had all but shouted at the man before slapping the latest pistachio mission dossier into his arms. After tracking down Savannah, who had her own choice words about his being late, the two had gone back to make sure a shipment of pistachio ice-cream reached its destination, a high school kitchen. Of course, the refrigerator they were supposed to store it in was on the fritz. Savannah had sworn up and down that she had fixed it, but Brick wasn’t entirely convinced, and the melted pistachio ice-cream stains on his pants and shoes were proof of his argument.

Block had been _a bit_ more understanding about the mission failing this time around after Savannah explained the rundown conditions of the high school kitchen’s equipment, but not enough to forgo reminding them both they were on thin ice. After returning to the future, Savannah had told him to get his shit together before clocking out for the day, leaving it up to Brick to fill-out the report.

After that mess of a day, Brick felt more than entitled to a goddamn drink. So, after stopping by his apartment to change, he had come to the bar to forget his day and try and find someone to help… _relieve his tension_. Suffice to say, the latter was out of the question for the night.

The bathroom door swung open and out stepped a shapely Polynesian girl, who was adjusting her top. Shortly after she exited, a man with curly auburn hair and bruised nose wearing a neon green bolo tie and some scuffed up cowboy boots followed.

“That was fun.” The girl smiled, trailing her hand up the auburn-haired man’s arm.

“It was passable.” The man said and hurt flashed through the girl’s eyes for a moment. Seeing this, the curly-haired man pulled her into a kiss. As he pulled away, he told her,” Sei una dea, non dimenticarlo mai.”

The girl giggled. “You know my Italian’s a little rusty.”

“Just know what I said was true.” The man placed a kiss on her hand. “Aspetto il giorno in cui potrò vederti di nuovo, mio bel fiore.” After receiving one final kiss, the girl giggled girlishly before waving good-bye to her companion.

Once she was out the door, the man sighed as if a heavy burden was lifted off his shoulders before slumping into a seat next to Brick. “The things you have to do to keep Blockhead off your back, am I right or am I right, Brick?”

The first-class agent gave the man a withering look. “Pardon?”

The man laughed. “Y’know what I mean. Show some pretty thing a good time and then have them cover your trail? What, you haven’t done that before?”

“I’m sorry, but do I know you from somewhere?”

The man next to Brick sent him a look that said, ‘Yes, you should know me, you idiot.’ But instead of voicing these thoughts, the man drawled out, “Chip Wolowitz? I’m an agent just like you.”

Brick gave the man a once over. Now that he got a better look at him, yeah, this Chip guy did seem familiar to him, but he couldn’t place where.

“You don’t remember me, do you?’ Chip said as he inspected his nails.

“Uh—no, no! I didn’t say that…”

“But you were thinking it.” Chip snapped his fingers before pulling out a twenty. “Oh bar-keep? Tom Collins, no rocks.” The bartender nodded once and went about making his drink, as he did, Chip smirked at Brick. “Martini, eh? A classic; you really live up to your status as top-gun, don’t you?”

Without even taking his eyes off Brick, Chip caught the Tom Collins the bartender slid down to him and then drank it in one shot. Brick, not wanting to admit he was a bit intimated, decided to change the subject.

“You work for the Bureau, eh?”

“Obviously. Bartender, keep ‘em coming!” Chip laid a fairly large amount of bills on the counter and the bartender obliged, with a more noticeable bounce in his step. “Although I don’t complete such grandiose assignments like you do. Oh, but then again, you don’t have those types of assignments anymore, do you?” Brick’s eyebrows shot up.

“How did you—?”

Chip scratched the five-o’clock-shadow on his chin. “If I recall, you’ve been placed on Pistachio duty, haven’t you? Lord, that must suck. To go from stopping World War V to saving a pathetic little green nut… talk about a serious downgrade.”

As the bartender slid another Tom Collins down to Chip, Brick turned to him, a little on edge. “Yeah, it does. Is there a point to all this Mr.…?”

Chip narrowed his eyes slightly at him, noting the obvious attempt at a power-grab in the conversation. However, instead of taking the bait, the curly-haired man smiled, his neon-green eyes flashing. “Do you remember me from the New Year’s Party?”

“What’re you talking about?’ Brick raised a brow. “I didn’t see you at the New Year’s Party.”

“Well, that’s wrong.” Chip took a sip of his drink. “I know that _everybody_ saw me at the New Year’s Party.

“Ok, you lost me.”

“Perhaps it would jog your memory if I get on the floor and start screaming?”

Brick was about to question what he meant, but realization dawned on him. The curly-haired man at the New Year’s party, the one who started screaming before passing out on the floor. “That was you?” Chip nodded. Brick took another look at the man sitting beside him and then remembered what he saw yesterday morning. “And you were the one that got knocked out yesterday morning, weren’t you?”

Chip gave him a sardonic look. “Was it the bruised nose, or the curly-hair that tipped you off?”

“Honesty? Bruised nose. I saw that girl hit you, looked like it hurt.”

“I suppose it still does, but I’ve been numbed to the pain.” Chip shrugged and swallowed the rest of his drink.

“What was the story behind that, anyway?”

“My ex-partner’s a temperamental, controlling, and crazy bitch.” Chip scowled as another drink was slid down to him. “It always had to be Lotte’s way or the highway. God, I hate her.”

“From what I’ve seen, the feeling’s mutual.” Brick mumbled, swallowing the rest of his martini. “I have to ask, why’d you freak out at the New Year’s party?”

An odd look came across Chip’s face after he said that. Like he was remembering a dirty-little joke, Chip swallowed the rest of his drink before aksing, “What happened at the New Year’s Party?” He chuckled darkly after that question. “What happened at the New Year’s Party?”

As Chip let out another dark laugh, Brick turned to the bartender. “Yeah, he’s done.”

Brick was startled as Chip suddenly latched onto his shoulders with a death grip, spinning him back around, an odd look in his neon-green eyes. “At the New Year’s Party… my mind was opened.”

Brick nodded along, slowly prying the man’s hands off his shoulders. “Ok… You’ve definitely had enough to drink.”

Chip gave him a dark look. “I’m serious, Brick. Once I woke up in the hospital… I was a new man.” Noticing Brick’s expression, Chip sighed. “Ok, allow me to explain it to you in a more simplified manner.” Chip snapped his fingers and suddenly, music from an undiscernible source started up.

“What the hell—?”

_“~_ _A few years ago,_ _I didn't have a girlfriend or a clue. I was a loser, just like you.~”_ Chip sang, patting Brick on the shoulder.

“Hey!”

_“~_ _Good times would only_ _soar by. I was gross, as every female would attest, my sexting was a futile quest; My little penis was depressed. He was so lonely, poor guy!~”_ Chip hopped up from his seat, moving over to stand in front of Brick. _“~_ _I was hopeless, hopeless_ _! I was helpless, helpless! Every time I walked ] in the Bureau, I would trip! I was, stagnant and idle. I was so suicidal!~”_ Chip turned to Brick, a dark smirk on his face as he slowly emphasized his next line. _“~And then, then, then_ _, then, then, then, then, then, then, then, then, then, then I got a TICC!~”_

Brick blinked in confusion. “You got quick?”

Chip deadpanned. “Not quick, you idiot. I got a TICC!”

“Like the bug?”

“Not the bug, dumbass!”

“Well excuse me, but that’s the only one I’ve heard of!”

“That’s the point! This is some top secret, can’t-even-look-it-up-on-the-internet-or-in-the-Bureau’s-records-shit.” Chip slung an arm across Brick’s shoulders, pulling the confused man closer. _“~It's from the past_ _. It's a grey, oblong pill; quantum nanotechnology CPU. The quantum computer in the pill will travel through your blood until it implants in your brain and tells you what to do.~”_

Brick stared at the man, appalled. “Are you taking steroids or something? Because you realize that’s against the Code of Conduct, right?”

“It’s not a steroid, Brick.” Chip rolled his eyes. “It’s the best damn thing that’s ever happened to me! Do you realize how much my life’s improved since I got one?”

Brick shifted awkwardly in his seat. “Should I?”

Chip grinned and gestured to the bathroom. “Remember that pretty little number you saw me with earlier? Three weeks ago, she didn’t know I existed. Now? She can’t get enough of me. She’s practically begging to do the horizontal tango with me, if you catch my drift.”

Brick’s mind, a bit muddled by the alcohol, immediately reminded him of his latest dream about Vinnie Dakota. Brick glanced at his empty glass, feigning interest. “So, what is it? A drug?”

Chip smiled as if someone told him a joke. “Oh, it’s so much better than drugs, Brick.” Chip pulled his arm off of Brick’s shoulder and hopped onto the counter. _“~It's from the past!~”_

As he sang this, an array of back-up dancers in neon-green and silver dresses popped up from behind the counter, providing Chip with some back-up vocals and startling Brick just a bit.

_“~It's a grey, oblong pill_ _; quantum nanotechnology CPU! The quantum computer in the pill will travel through your blood until it implants in your brain and tells you what to do… It tells you what to do.~”_ Chip hopped off the counter and the back-up dancers scurried out from behind the counter to accompany him _. “~It's pre-programmed_ _, it's amazing! Speaks to you directly. You behave as it's appraising. It helps you act correctly.~”_ Chip and his back-up dancers struck a pose. _“~Helps you to be cool_ _, it helps you rule!~”_

Brick blinked. “Wait, what was that last line?”

Ignoring him, Chip reclaimed his seat by Brick, throwing out his arms as if gesturing to the distant horizon. _“~Picture this;_ _Nobody cares if you are late ‘cause even Blockhead thinks you're great! Your weekend's just a full-on slate of blowout benders, of time-traveling, Rockstar splendors!~”_ Chip stood up and yanked Brick to his feet, giving the man a little twirl to throw him off his balance as he did so. _“~Right now, you're helpless, helpless_ _, you are_ almost _hopeless_ _. On the Bureau’s social map, you're barely a blip. But if you take my advice,~”_ Chip leaned over towards Brick, as if whispering a secret to him, _“~And if you_ _pay the listed price, well then, you’ll go from sad, to interesting, to hip, yeah, your whole life will flip! When you buy a TICC!_ _~”_ Chip turned to Brick excitedly. “Y’know, if you’re interested, I got a hook-up back in the 21 st century. Of course, if you are interested, there is a small-access-fee…”

Still feigning interest, Brick asked, “When you say small-access-fee, you really mean…?”

“Six-hundred dollars.”

“Six hundred dollars?!”

“Believe me, it’s worth it!” Chip raised a brow and smiled expectantly. “So, what do you have to say?”

Brick glanced between Chip, his back-up dancers, and the two-other people in the bar, who seemed to have not noticed the large musical number that just took place. “I think my first question is how long were those back-up dancers behind the bar?”

Chip laughed a little. “Wow… You know what you need Brick?” Chip slid back into formation with his back-up dancers. _“~A TICC! Hey, yeah, a TICC_ _, yeah, yeah, a TICC! A-ah a TICC! No longer a drip when you've got in your grip, a TICC! A TICC! A TICC!~”_ Chip and his back-up dancers struck one final ending pose before the back-up dancers began dispersing, milling about before digging their coats out from behind the counter and leaving the bar.

Brick blinked before turning to Chip. “Seriously, though, how long were those back-up dancers back there? And why are they here in the first place?”

Chip shrugged nonchalantly. “Eh, their union. They’ll travel. So, Brick, what’d ya say?”

Brick glanced between the lingering back-up dancers and Chip before slumping forward just a bit. “I mean, it _sounds_ interesting, but I just don’t know. It sounds an awful like a steroid and all—”

“It’s not a steroid!” Chip snapped, startling Brick. The curly-haired man took a few calming breaths before snapping his finger to get the bartenders attention, as apparently a musical number wasn’t enough to do that. Chip handed the man a hundred-dollar bill. “His drinks on my tab, and keep the change. It’s been nice chatting with you Brick. But, I guess a TICC ain’t for everybody. I mean, it’s not like you _want_ to stay on pistachio-duty, forever right? And it’s not like you want to impress a _certain someone_ , right?” A knowing smile on his face, Chip left the bar, his arms draped over the two-remaining back-up dancers as he led them out.

Brick knew he was being manipulated, all the signs were there, and he recognized them. But damn it all to hell, Chip made a good point. Besides, Brick was sick and tired of being on Pistachio duty. And, now that Brick thought about it, it would be nice if he could hold an actual conversation with Vinnie instead of stuttering out nonsense, maybe make some of his dreams a reality?

Blushing madly at the thought, Brick left a few dollars on the counter and left the bar, thoughts immediately going to Vinnie Dakota.


	4. Brick Gets a TICC

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shenanigans happen at the Googoplex Mall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I'm back at school now so updates will be less frequent. But don't worry, I will continue on! Hopefully this story will be finished by summer.

**_–In the year 2176–_ **

Brick glanced out the window of the future-subway as it sped down the tracks, thoughts drifting to the conversation he had, and the spontaneous musical number he witnessed last night. Despite what he had originally hoped, the offer hadn’t become less enticing with the passage of time.

The man scoffed quietly to himself, rolling his eyes. _What the hell even is a TICC, anyway? It sounds pointless and stupid._ Brick had even tried looking it up last night on the internet, just to see what it was. But, just like Chip said in the lyrics, you couldn’t look it up on the internet. All he found were a couple links to a company that provided debt-capital to certain companies.

Honestly, Brick wasn’t sure what he was more impressed by; the fact that Chip was right and this TICC he sang about couldn’t be looked up anywhere or the fact that the aforementioned business had managed to stay relevant and thriving even after the Big Reform of 2092.

As the future-subway slowed to a stop, Brick felt his stomach rumble. After having another _intoxicating_ dream about Vinnie Dakota last night, Brick had almost slept through his alarm and, to make sure he wasn’t late again, he skipped breakfast and his morning coffee just to make it to work on time… Only to find out that he had set his alarm fifteen-minutes early just in case he slept through it again, so he skipped the most important meal of the day for nothing.

Sighing in defeat, Brick fished out his wallet as he stepped off the future-subway. While he more often than not made his own coffee at home and ate his own breakfast there as well, there were times when Brick conceded that a splurge at the Future-Starbucks was necessary.

Arriving on scene, Brick was pleasantly surprised to find only two people in line for the Future-Starbucks. Then again, as the top-agent stood in line, he realized he technically was fifteen minutes earlier than usual. As he waited in line, Brick felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He dug it out and raised a brow at the notification he just received from his news app. _‘B.O.T.T. HACKED.’_

Without a second thought, Brick opened the app and read over the article.

_‘A spokesperson for the Bureau of Time Travel has come out to publicly confirm that, yes, they have been hacked by an unknown party with unknown intention. However, as far as the Bureau knows, the only information that was stolen was a small list of agents and there assigned missions, a list of all known flavored-drink developers in the early 21 st century, and accidents and mishaps of the bizarre and unexpected, unexplainable variety that occurred from the years 2008 to 2016. The connection between this list has yet to be made, at least in a public statement.’_

As the line moved up one, Brick blinked in surprise. Hacked? Stolen information on agents and their mission? Drinks and odd mishaps? How did any of this make sense?

_‘The spokesperson has confirmed that this hacking seems to be in direct connection to a reported virus early this month. However, the spokesperson reassured the public that, so far, nothing else seems to have been taken. However, the spokesperson guaranteed that the Bureau is working with the best tech-support they can to get the hacker(s) out and the Bureau back-up and running again.’_

Brick couldn’t believe what he was reading. Sure, the Bureau’s has made some enemies since it’s founding, and a few of those enemies have tried to hack into the Bureau’s system before, but thanks to some ingenious technology and routing systems, it made it virtually impossible to do from the metaphorical outside. Brick realized with an acute horror that this meant only one thing; it was an inside job.

“Next!” the young barista called out. Momentarily forgetting the article he just read, Brick handed the young man $20. “A cheese Danish and an Espresso Macchiato, please.” The barista, who looked incredibly bored, tapped the screen a couple times before handing Brick his receipt, change, and (after packaging it) his cheese Danish.

“Name for the Espresso, please.”

“Brick.”

The barista nodded, scribbling the name onto a Styrofoam cup. “It’ll be ten minutes. Next!”

Brick stepped out of line just as his phone buzzed again. Instead of an update on the Hacking story, like he was expecting, Brick found a text from Savannah. _‘Any idea why Block pulled me into his office the moment I walked through the front doors?’_

Brick shrugged to himself before replying. _‘Honestly? No clue.’_ After he sent that reply, a thought occurred to him. _‘Maybe this?’_ Brick copied a link to the article he just read and sent it over. It had taken a few minutes, but Savannah replied with a _‘Might be it. I’ll look into it.’_

“Barwick? Espresso Macchiato!” Brick rolled his eyes and wondered if there was a special training seminar in which Starbucks employees learned how to mispronounce the simplest names, but grabbed his coffee nonetheless.

However, as he turned to head to the exit, he nearly choked on his coffee.

“Hey, Brick!” Vinnie Dakota smiled in greeting. God, that smile did things to Brick.

Swallowing what little coffee actually made it into his mouth, Brick smiled weakly in return. “Oh, h-hey! Dakota…”

“Guess we take the same route, huh?”

Brick chuckled nervously, and loudly. “I, uh, yeah! G-guess we do!”

Not noticing the top-agent’s odd behavior, Dakota shrugged with a relaxed smile. “Cool, cool…” Before Brick could stammer out a response, the barista hollered “Next!” and Dakota gave a small wave. “Well, see ya around, I guess.”

“Y-yeah… see you around…” Brick mumbled, smiling a bit as Dakota went up to the counter, not even noticing Brick still standing there, the top-agent quickly scurried out of line and up the exit’s stairs. Once out, he paused to catch his breath on the other side of a railing. He glanced between the exit stairs and the cup of coffee in his hands. Smirking confidently, he took a bite of his Danish. “What was I thinking?” he asked himself through a mouthful of food. “I don’t need a TICC. I just had a sort of conversation with Dakota.” Feeling more confident than before, Brick began to make his way towards B.O.T.T. headquarters. “I don’t need that stupid, musical-number-advertised hunk of ju—” Brick was cut-off from his overconfident rambling by the familiar sight of yellow and orange tracksuit wearing man walking out of the subway station. Irrational panic outweighing his common sense and pride, Brick dove behind the railing he just stood by. As he watched Dakota walk towards the building, realization of what he just did made Brick drop his head in shame. “What the hell is wrong with me?”

Taking one last bite out of his Danish before throwing it away, Brick was about to begin his trek to work again when a blur of neon green dashed past him. Curios, Brick paused where he stood and watched as the blur of neon green, who turned out to be the girl who had knocked Chip out the other day, dash over to Vinnie Dakota, smashing what looked like a flimsy snowball into the back of his head before tucking and rolling to grab the tray of coffees the man was carrying, to assure they didn’t spill.

Laughing, the woman asked Dakota “How badass was that? Like, on a scale of one to Liam Neeson, how badass was I?”

Trying to remove the snow from his head, Dakota gave the woman an odd look. “Lotte? Why the hell did you nail me in the back of the head with a snowball?” Brick, remembering Chip mentioning a Lotte, suddenly became very interested in their conversation.

“Um, _helping you_. Duh…” Lotte said, sounding as if it was obvious.

“How is _this_ ,” Dakota gestured to the snow on the back of his head, “helping me? Unless ya wanna give me hypothermia.”

“First of all, it’s statistically impossible to get hypothermia from one mere snowball to the head. Second, it’s all apart of _the plan_.” The way Lotte said, ‘the plan”, made both Dakota and Brick wary. Dakota because, well, he’s known Lotte long enough. Brick for more… petty reasons.

_‘Plan? What plan?’_ Brick asked himself. _‘Is that Lotte-girl trying to get off him and Cooperdink off of Renaissance-Potty duty; can’t really blame them for that, though. Wait, is that foreplay? Is she flirting with him?! Is he flirting back?!’_

“I’m almost afraid to ask, but what ‘plan’?” Dakota used air quotes.

Shoving the tray of coffee cups back into his hands, Lotte spun the tracksuit wearing man around and started fiddling with the snow in his hair. More specifically, she seemed to be arranging it in a very specific way. “The kids and I were conspiring over the phone last night, and we decided you and, well, _you-know-who_ needed a meet cute.”

A weight dropped into Brick’s stomach at the way the phrase ‘you-know-who’ came out, and he became anxious because he couldn’t really gauge Dakota’s reaction to the aforementioned phrase.

“Meet cute? What’s that?”

“According to what the kids told me last night and what I was able to find online, it’s when you have to potential partners meet-up for the first time, to ensuing romantic hijinks.”

Dakota nodded before turning slightly to look at the green-haired girl. “Cool, cool… but I already know—”

Lotte waved a dismissive hand. “Yeah, yeah. We know that. But, given the circumstances, you two need a meet cute.”

“What’d ya mean, ‘circumstances’—?” Dakota tried once again to turn around.

“I mean that the two of you are pining idiots who don’t properly understand the phrase; Just get a room, already. Now, will you please stop turning around?! I’ve calculated the perfect pattern for the snow in your hair and you turning around to give me the stink-eye is messing that up!” Surprised by Lotte’s snappish tone, Dakota huffed out a breath in surrender, letting the woman arrange snowflakes in his hair.

Brick slumped to a crouching position as he felt a lump form in his throat. This Lotte woman, and some kids, apparently, were trying to arrange for a meet cute with someone Dakota knew. Brick set his coffee down on the cold ground and tried to wrap his head around all of this new information.

_‘Is… is she trying to play matchmaker with Dakota and someone else? But, but who? And why? When? HOW?!’_ Brick shook his head, petty jealously over this unknown person warring for dominance with his own self-pity party.

“Aaaand, done!” Lotte took a step back, admiring her work for a brief second before spinning Dakota back around; Bricks’ view of the man of his dreams was blocked by the green-haired woman. “Now, for the final touch.”

She leaned forward slightly, and Brick heard Dakota protest. “Ow! Not so hard, that hurts!”

“You need rosy-cheeks for the meet cute to work!”

“Yeah, I but for _rosy-cheeks_ to be a possibility, I need to _have cheeks_!” Dakota shook the woman off and she relented.

“Yeah, ok, I guess that’s rosy enough.”

“You can be kinda pushy. Y’know that, right?” Dakota asked. Lotte shrugged, taking the coffee that someone (probably Dakota) paid for with her name written on the cup.

“That’s not important right now.”

“Did it even work?” Lotte hummed thoughtfully and, coffee in hand, slowly circled Dakota, who rolled his eyes fondly. Lotte doing her inspection allowed Brick to get a good-look at the man and boy-howdy, was he unprepared.

Lotte had arranged the snow in his hair perfectly. That, couple with his red cheeks and the way the light hit him made Vinnie Dakota looked heavenly. Brick couldn’t help but smile with dreamy eyes at the man from his hiding spot.

Lotte stopped circling Dakota just to his left, still leaving Brick a good enough of a glance, and exhaled. “Well, the good news is that I’m still incredibly gay, so you won’t have to worry about me stealing either of you from the other.”

Dakota rolled his eyes. “Thanks?”

“And the great news is that you look _fabulous_!” Lotte cheered before taking a sip of her coffee before crying out in surprise. “Ah! Too hot, too hot!” The green-haired woman stuck her tongue out and fanned it.

Dakota smiled. “Ha-ha, karma.~”

“Very funny,” Lotte smacked his arm playfully. “We gonna go to work yet or not?”

“Eh, karma’s not done with ya yet.” Dakota smirked at Lotte. “You also have to carry Cavendish’s coffee and throw away the tray I got.”

“Hmm, I’ll throw away the tray but no dice on the carrying thing.” Lotte grabbed the recyclable tray and went to toss it in a nearby bin.

“Are you sure this’ll work?” Dakota called out to her.

“No te preocupes, mi amante de la comida, amigo. Si las películas trashy-romance me han enseñado algo, es ese interés amoroso de la nieve en el pelo y las mejillas sonrosadas. ¡Un Grado A se ve lindo! Además—” As Lotte threw the tray in the recycling bin, she turned on heel and made direct eye contact with Brick, a peculiar look on her face “I know from a very recent field study, _this kind of thing works_.”

With the way she said it, and that look on her face, a different, unnerving kind of weight settled into Brick’s stomach.

**_–At the B.O.T.T. Head Quarters–_ **

When Brick had finally gotten the gumption to pull himself to his feet and walk towards HQ, he felt exhausted from the day he head, and the sad part was it was only 9 AM. At the far end of the room, he saw Dakota, Cooperdink, and Lotte (coffee cups in hand) walking towards the garage, conversing among themselves.

After punching in, Mr. Block approached him, looking apprehensive. “We have a problem. My office, if you could.”

Dread adding itself onto the numerous weights he felt in the pit of his stomach, Brick shrugged and trudged after his boss. Upon reaching Mr. Block’s office, he found Savannah occupying one of the seats, looking apprehensive herself.

“Well, I wanted to tell you both personally once I found out, but apparently, PR doesn’t take into consideration what the boss has to say, _Gretchen_.” Mr. Block growled out, glaring at his still open office door.

Gretchen poked her head in, for once looking a bit more pissed off than actually bored out of her mind. “I did what _you_ asked, and the PR has their own issues to deal with. _Don’t_. Pin. This. On. _Me._ ” Gretchen sneered and retreated from the door.

“Oh, get back to work!”

“I’m on my lunch break!”

“At 9 AM?”

“Apparently!”

Brick and Savannah exchanged glances. Brick raised a brow, gesturing between Block and the exit. Savannah shrugged helplessly, “You were right. I know, I’m shocked too.”

Ignoring the jab, Brick turned to his boss, who sighed in defeat. “Yes, the Bureau has been hacked and, sadly, your status at the Bureau, data on your frequented timelines, and your mission reports have all been taken.”

“Do we have to worry about identity theft?” Savannah asked. Brick silently agreed that it was the most pressing issue.

Block shook his head. “As far as we can tell, no. But, I’d keep a close eye on any accounts, just to be safe.”

The two top-agents nodded. Brick spoke up first. “Is there anything we can do to help?”

“Currently, I’ve got my hands tied trying to work with the nerds we keep here trying to figure out a way to get security back on line, so it doesn’t get worse. However, one of the tech-guys was able to use some outdated mobile devices to get a sort of grasp on when and where we think it started.” Block leaned back and pulled out a small piece of notebook paper and handed it to them. “It’s not much, but it’s all I can give you two right now.”

Brick read the note over Savannah’s shoulder. _‘21 st Century. Googolplex Mall, Danville. After a video goes viral, chain of probable events (?) occur. **Note to self: “Chain of Probable Events” is tangled and hard to decipher. This is more than likely not the start.** ’ _

Block shrugged helplessly. “I suggest you two get on it, and maybe stop by and talk to tech about an anti-virus for your home devices. Can’t be too careful.”

Brick and Savannah nodded, leaving the man to tackle the mess. As they walked to the foyer, Brick turned to Savannah “Think it’s an inside job?”

“No doubt about it. No one else could get around the fire wall unless they worked here long enough. Question is, who and why?”

“Well, the Bureau has no shortage of enemies.” Arriving at the foyer, Brick spotted Chip talking to a red-headed girl carrying a hologram-laptop, a standard trademark of a tech-worker here at the Bureau. “Uh, hey, if you can get the limo going, I’ll go get the anti-viruses from tech for us.” Savannah shrugged and headed off towards the garage.

Once she was out of his earshot, Brick made his way over to Chip, who seemed to be flirting with the read-headed girl. Once he was close enough, Brick cleared his throat to get his attention. He turned to the red-headed girl. “Block said I could get some anti-viruses from tech?”

“Oh, were you affected by the hacking?”

“Yeah. My partner and I both.”

“Sorry to hear that. I’ll got get a couple of anti-virus disks for you.”

Chip smirked wolfishly at her, kissing the knuckles of her free hand. “I hate to see you leave so soon.”

The girl giggled. ‘Oh you, I’ll be back soon enough.”

“I await with baited breath.” He gave her a charming smile, which the girl giggled at again as she walked away. Once out of sight, Chip held up a small disk in his hands. “You got hacked too, huh?”

Brick blinked in surprise. “Looks like you did too.”

Chip shrugged nonchalantly. “Not to big of a deal, really. Block’s given me some unpaid time off since I can’t do missions alone, so it gave me an excuse to come to work today. Well, besides my _normal_ excuse.”

“Normal excuse?”

“You remember last night, don’t you?”

“Unfortunately, yes.” The song had been stuck in his head for the past twelve hours.

“My hook-up is back in the past. Access to time-machines makes it so much easier to get to it, y’know. I just gotta flirt with a couple of techies to get them to let me take a machine, and I’m off.”

Remembering what had happened outside of the subway’s exit, Brick frowned at the floor, not even pretending to feign interest. “What does TICC stand for anyway?”

Chip side-eyed Brick with a knowing smile. “Why? You wouldn’t happen to be interested, would you?”

Brick thought about what he just said. On one hand, he could say no. Brick could say no, I am not interested, and be done with the whole matter. He could grab the two anti-viruses from the techie and meet Savannah to complete their mission. If he did that, however, once this whole hacking business has blown over, he’d be back on Pistachio duty, back to bickering with Savannah, and back to pining after Vinnie Dakota from afar. And after over-hearing the man’s conversation with Lotte, it looks like he might not be the only one pining for the tracksuit wearing man.

On the other hand, he could say yes. He could say yes, and get a little extra help in the self-improvement department. And, from what he’s seen with Chip, it looks like the TICC actually works.

Mind made up, Brick turned to Chip. “Yes, yes I am. What do I have to do again?”

Chip smiled and patted Brick on the chest in a friendly manner. “Meet me at the Googolplex Mall in Danville during the 21st century. I’ll hook you up. And just for you, pal, I’ll split the bill with you.” Chip winked at him and, finger gunning him, he turned to head towards the garage. “I’ll see you then, Brick.”

**_–In the 21 st century–_ **

Milo, Melissa, and Zack sat on the steps leading up to the Googolplex Mall, despondent. They had faced just about any kind of disaster Murphy’s Law had thrown their way and come out better for it. Whether it be a herd of stampeding emu interrupting their commute home or a tidal wave of nacho cheese interrupting history class. But nothing could have prepared them for the news they had just received.

Melissa curled herself into a ball and tipped over onto her side. “I welcome you, death…”

“How could they do this?” Zack cried mournfully. “Aren’t there laws to prevent this kind of thing?!”

Milo sighed sadly and slumped to the ground. “I refuse to move until time stops.”

“What’re you kids doin’?” The children glanced up to see Cavendish, Dakota, and Lotte standing over them.

“Close enough.” Milo commented as Lotte pulled him to his feet. “And we’re in mourning…”

“Mourning for what?” Lotte asked.

Zack, fighting back the tears, he took out his phone and handed it to Cavendish. The other two-time travelers read over his shoulders. _‘Gush Corporations has announced that due to low performance sales; their soda, Red Gush, will be pulled from shelves permanently.’_

Cavendish and Dakota shared a look, while Lotte scoffed. “Red Gush? Seriously, kids, I thought you had better taste than that.”

Melissa sprang up from her spot on the ground, half of her covered in snow and slush. “Hey! Red Gush is the best drink ever. And it makes no sense that they’d continue it due to low sales, because that’s their most popular drink!”

“Really?” Cavendish asked, uncertain. He scrolled down and read further in the article, that Red Gush would be officially taken off the shelves by mid-February of that year. “Because… well, remember what we said on New Year’s?”

“Yeah. In the future, Red Gush has been discontinued for quite some time.” Dakota added.

Milo sniffled, pulling his hat down. “It’s worse than he thought.”

“I don’t see what the big deal is.” Lotte shrugged, examining her glove-covered nails. “I think Green Gush is better than Red Gush, anyway.”

All three children gasped, insulted and a bit horrified. Zack even went as far to proclaim, “I don’t even know you anymore.”

Smiling fondly, Dakota said, “You kids sure know a thing or two about drama.”

“Speaking of drama, how is that school play of yours coming along?” Cavendish asked.

Melissa reached over into Milo’s backpack and pulled out a sheet of laminated notebook paper. “Everyone else is doing set building today, so they sent the rest of us to get some props for the show, so Murphy’s Law doesn’t destroy the catwalk again.”

Lotte let out a low-whistled, moderately impressed. “Never a dull day with you kids, huh?”

“We were about to check and see if some thrift stores in the mall when Sara sent each of us links to the worst article of all time!” Zack cried out, angrily stuffing his phone in his pocket.

Hating to see the children upset, the three time-travelers exchanged looks, silently agreeing to an unspoken plan. “How about we help you gather some of the items on your list?”

“You would do that?”

“Of course, we would.” Lotte grabbed the list from Melissa’s hands. “I mean, a Renaissance Princess costume, stuff for Prince cosplay, and twelve bean bag chairs… wait, twelve bean bag chairs?”

“In case Murphy’s Law makes ten of them break.” Milo explained, stuffing the list into his backpack. “But, wait, don’t you guys have important time-travel stuff to do?”

“Nope. We finished all that this morning.” It was sort of true. By the time the trio had arrived in the Renaissance, they discovered only one potty remaining due to a fire burning down the kingdom. Afterwards, they travelled to the 21st century to destroy the pistachios. After finding out that Brick and Savannah weren’t on pistachio duty, Lotte had gone up and drop-kicked the crate of Pistachios into the frozen lake. She explained to the vendor there was a poisonous spider on top of the crate and she had panicked. Considering that Lotte was 5’3” and had successfully drop-kicked something that was twice her weight five-hundred feet away, the vendor put up no argument. They had come to the mall to get some Mr. Slushy Burger’s; finding their favorite little rascals despondent on the steps of the mall was a surprising (but not unwelcome) deterrent.

“Well… we are gonna need help getting the bean bags…” Melissa trails off, knowing that the time-travelers will take the bait.

“Alright then,” Dakota shrugged, smiling, “let’s get those props… After we hit Mr. Slushy Burger. I’m starving.” Melissa and Zack chuckled good-naturedly as Cavendish rolled his eyes, commenting how they just had mutton back n the Renaissance and how could you be hungry, for us it was quite literally ten minutes ago. As the four entered the mall, Lotte grabbed Milo roughly by his backpack and yanked him back to her.

“Did either of you get the group text I sent?” She asked him. The boy nodded, a mischievous smile on his face.

“Yep! And Melissa, Zack, and I already made-up a list of… Hang on,” Milo reached into his backpack, pulling out a long, and quite frankly, impressive list labeled: _‘Scenarios—and, or—possible dates we can put Dakavendish into, so they become cannon; Hard Copy, Ver. 2.5’_ and started counting off the many bullet points on the list, “42! 42 possible scenarios/dates we could put them into to help them become cannon. And this is just one of the hard copies that survived.” Milo gestured to a section of the list that was obviously taped on. “We messed up that part. Melissa and Zack also have digital copies on their phones.”

Lotte hummed. “I gotta admit kid, you come prepared.”

Milo shrugged, stuffing the list back into his backpack. “Well, with Murphy’s Law, it’s better to be prepared for every eventuality.”

“I know exactly how you feel, Murphy.” Lotte smiled. “Well, shall we proceed with the plan?”

“Yes, yes we shall.” Milo smiled, excited to get to work. The only thing standing in their way was the mall entrance, which quickly fell of it’s hinges and fell to the ground at Milo and Lotte’s feet, shattering. The two only shrugged at the mild inconvenience and went to go catch-up with their friends.

**_–Meanwhile, with Brick and Savannah–_ **

The two top-agents were wary about using any type of technology, what with the hacking and all, but after a couple of hours wandering around the mall, the two agreed that they really had no other choice. However, that wasn’t to say using their intertemporal communicator was of much help.

Whenever the two came across any source of information that might’ve been helpful, the communicator froze up before kicking them out of the page they had opened and back to the home screen. Savannah exhaled, clearly frustrated. “Well, any other ideas?”

Brick glanced around the mall, trying to come up with something. He blanched a bit as he spotted Chip by a nearby shoe store. Making eye contact, Chip motioned for Brick to follow him as he disappeared into the store. Swallowing, Brick handed Savannah the intertemporal communicator. “I’ll take the north end of the mall, you take the south. We might actually be able to find something if we split up.”

Savannah gave him a skeptical look. “We just spent the past two hours looking for any sign of anything suspicious happening in this mall, but ok. Not like we have anything better to do.” As she walked off, Brick all but sped-walked toward where Chip disappeared to. Spotting him, Brick slowed his pace, as to not seem to eager. Upon approach, Chip raised a brow.

“You got the three-hundred?”

Brick flashed his credit card. “You bet.”

Chip sighed, annoyed. “He only takes cash.”

“You didn’t tell me that!”

“Well I’m telling you now! Ugh, I swear, why it’s so insistent on _you_ being in on the plan, I’ll never understand…”

Brick blinked, confused. “Plan?”

Chip winced in pain, bringing a hand to his head, and then suddenly dropping it. His suave, smooth façade once again in place. “Tell you what, when we get back to 2176, pay me back. Ok?”

“I couldn’t ask you to do that—”

“I wanna do it!” Draping an arm across Brick’s shoulder, leading him towards a dark corner in the store. “Think of it as… a friend helping a friend… _improve_. Besides, if someone offered to buy me something this expensive, I’d take it.” Brick nodded, after all, Chip had a point.

The two men approached a tall man with a large, bald head in the store’s uniform. Brick could tell that the mustache and beard the man were sporting were fake but considering that was the least sketchy thing about this whole operation, Brick decided not to comment.

The man merely glanced at them over his shoulder before telling them in some kind of European accent. “We’re sold out.”

Chip merely leaned against a nearby shelf and, inspecting his nails, told the man, “Pinocchio shoots red pineapples with a bubblegum rocket.”

The balding man stilled and then glanced around, as if to check if they were being watched. “You got the money?” Chip reached into his jacket before pulling out a large wad of cash. “Wonderful! Gentlemen, follow me please.” The two men followed him to the back corner of the store where the bald man, once again after checking to see if anyone was watching, reached up and grabbed a shoe box down from the top shelf. “I must warn you, this technology is highly experimental. Only one other person beside you two has _officially_ tested it.”

Chip shrugged, uncaring. Brick, on the other hand, was starting to have doubts. “Only one other person?”

“Yes, and I’m not allowed to tell who! Doctor-patient confidentiality and all…”

Brick leaned over and whispered to Chip, “He’s a doctor?”

Chip merely shrugged, unsure of that himself. Nonetheless, Chip handed the large wad of cash to the man, who balanced the shoe box on his hip before flipping through the bills, counting the amount off. Once satisfied, the man glared anxiously behind Chip and Brick, as if daring anyone to interrupt the transaction.

The man flipped the lid off the box, and Brick was a bit surprised to see the contents of the box. He didn’t expect shoes, not in this kind of deal, but the shoe box was filled halfway with tiny, grey, oblong pills. The bald man reached in and plucked one out before slamming the lid back on the box and shoving the box back onto the top shelf.

Holding the pill between his thumb and pointer-finger, the balding man gave the two agents one final warning, “Remember: _Highly experimental_. My business partner and I claim no responsibility for any… _ill-fated_ side-effects you may have after taking this.”

“Side-effects?” Brick turned to Chip. “You never mentioned anything about side-effects!”

Chip scratched his chin, a small grin on his face. “I thought it was implied.”

The balding man reached over and placed the pill in Brick’s hand before closing his fingers around it. Smiling, he told Brick, “Congratulations, my good man. You are now the proud owner of the latest version of the TICC. To activate it, you must take it with Green Gush—I don’t know why! Probably has something to do with the dye…” Brick glanced at Chip who, again, shrugged.

The two started to walk away before the balding man cried out “Oh, wait! There’s something I forgot to tell you; something very important.” Noting the man’s urgent tone, Brick and Chip went over to him.

“What? What is it?”

“It’s very important to know that—WE’RE SOLD OUT!” The man shouted over his shoulder suddenly, startling Brick and Chip. The two men glanced over to find a trio of teenage girls staring at the man in surprise, which quickly morphed into confusion.

“You’re sold out… _of shoes_?” The teenager with long brown hair with a white flower in it asked.

“In a shoe store?” The teenager with short orange hair in a red shirt questioned.

The balding man blinked at the girls before awkwardly turning to face them, “Oh… You girls are here for shoes?”

The Asian girl with a blue bow raised a brow, gesturing around her. “Well, it _is_ a shoe store.”

“Of course, I’ll be right with you ladies.” The bald man started to walk over to the girls before Brick grabbed his arm.

“Wait, what were you about to say?”

“Oh, that’s right!” The man leaned in and whispered, “All sales are final.” The man walked over to the girls, mention that they just got in a shipment of cruelty-free boots, making the girls “Oooooh!” in fascination as he led them away from Brick and Chip, who exchanged odd glances at the man’s strange behavior.

**_–Meanwhile, with the Time-Traveling-Trio and Milo, Melissa, and Zack–_ **

Melissa rolled her eyes, nobly resisting the urge to facepalm. _‘Time to scratch Plans 12, 27,_ and _36.5 off the list.’_

Lotte, Milo, Zack, and herself had been trying for the past two hours to get Cavendish and Dakota into a romantic situation in hope of getting their favorite time-travelers to admit that they’re in love. And Melissa wasn’t sure if it was Murphy’s Law or Cavendish and Dakota’s apparent inability to get the hint that a situation was supposed to be romantic or some other force of the universe that didn’t want any plan to succeed; but one romantic situation after another romantic situation seemed to fail.

Now, since they were in a mall, Lotte suggested they try and go along with any plan that might coincide with their current plan. So that was the end of Sections A, B, F, M, and Q of their list. However, Lotte mentioned something about the two men wanting Mr. Slushy-Burger. The kids decided to initiate Plan 12: Sharing a Meal. Luckily for them, Mr. Slushy-Burger was having a two-for-one deal that day. By one meal, get the second meal free.

Since there six people in the group total (and four conspiring members) Milo initiated that they each group up in two so they could split the bill evenly. And, “coincidentally”, Milo and Melissa had decided to split a bill while Lotte offered to go hafizes with Zack. Unfortunately, when Cavendish and Dakota ordered their meals, Dakota had paid the bill without giving Cavendish time to calculate half of the bill. Dakota claimed that he and Cavendish were now even, saying the latter often had to pay for their meals if they went out to eat. While disheartened, Lotte was quick to point out to the kids how it can be romantic to take the bill. And it would’ve been an unconscious romantic gesture, if Cavendish wasn’t quick to point out they were hardly even when it came to paying for the bill, causing the two men to respectively agree to disagree.

Plan 12 was a flop.

After the group had finished shopping at some costume and craft stores for the supplies needed for some of the costumes for the play, Milo pointed that a store with a surplus of everything (including beanbags) was located on the top floor of the mall. Dakota pointed to an elevator, saying they could get there quicker. Lotte and the kids exchanged excited smiles behind Cavendish and Dakota’s back; they decided to initiate Plan 27: Seven Minutes in Heaven.

Milo quickly pulled out a map of the mall and, as they all entered an elevator, excitedly pointed out that there was a cosmetics store that specialized in stage make-up on the second floor. Zack offered to go with Milo to get the make-up they needed. Cavendish and Dakota didn’t pay this no mind, but Lotte and Melissa nodded in understanding. After the two boys exited, the girls exchanged mischievous smiles behind the other time-traveler’s backs. Upon reaching the top floor; Lotte and Melissa dashed in front of the two men, with Lotte smashing the down and close-door button as hard as she could. Sure enough, the elevator closed behind the two women and sent Cavendish and Dakota back down to the second floor. While Melissa and Lotte were too busy congratulating themselves on a plan-well-done, Cavendish and Dakota came back up in the elevator. They took it rather well, however. Dakota laughing at the “prank” the girls just pulled on them.

When Milo and Zack rejoined the group, the three kids and Lotte agreed that they didn’t think Plan 27 through all the way.

And finally, after purchasing ten beanbags and placing them on a flatbed Milo had stored in his backpack (everyone sort of gave the boy an odd look but knew better than to question anything), Zack spotted a hipster-music store. The boy might have casually mentioned that their director, Mr. Drako, had the idea of having some songs play throughout the auditorium before the play actually started.

Catching his drift, Milo and Melissa were quick to point out that since the play they were performing had a sort of hipster, cult-classic vibe about it, that the music store Zack pointed out would be the perfect place to find some songs. The group had entered the store and initiated Plan 36.5: Slow dance (To a catchy, yet romantic 70’s song, so it’ll appeal to Dakota). Lotte had also advised the kids to go about this in a sneakier manner than the previous two plans, as both Cavendish and Dakota had questioned her if something was going on.

So, sneakier is what the kids and Lotte became. The store had a few computers where you could sample a song and see if it was something to your liking. So, they each divided into their own groups, making it seem as natural as possible. Everyone picking out songs they felt would make a good addition to the soundtrack the kids were putting together. They got some songs by _Love in October, Lindana, Love Handel, Tipling Rock, Saint Motel, Tiny Cowboy, Cage the Elephant, Silver, Fleetwood Mac, Milky Chance, Cheap Trick,_ and _Looking Glass_. And then Lotte “accidentally” stumbled across _Fooled Around and Fell in Love_ by _Elvin Bishop_. It was perfect; just slow and romantic enough to thrall Cavendish and old and classic enough to ensnare Dakota.

_“~I must have been through about a million girls, I'd love 'em then I'd leave 'em alone~”_ The kids and Lotte laid the trap perfectly, blasting the song on the computer as high as it would go and swaying in time to the beat. _“~I didn't care how much they cried, no sir. Their tears left me cold as a stone~”_ Milo pulled Lotte to the center of the floor and the two started spinning around in each other’s arms in a semblance of a slow-dance. Melissa followed suit and did the same with Cavendish and Zack did the same with Dakota. _“~But then I fooled around and fell in love. I fooled around and fell in love, yes I did~”_ While Cavendish and Dakota initially gave their four companions odd looks, they fell into the rhythm as well. With Dakota even joining Milo and Lotte with singing the lyrics. _“~I fooled around and fell in love… I fooled around and fell in love~”_ Then, when the two time-travelers weren’t looking, Zack and Melissa spun themselves into each other’s arms, while making sure to spin Cavendish and Dakota into each other’s arms as well.

And that’s when Plan 36.5 crashed and burned. The two men seemed to finally register what the song was about and, realizing what type of situation they were in, blushed as red as tomatoes, and stepped away from each other, spell broken and laughing awkwardly at the situation before going back to looking for songs, at separate corners of the store.

Melissa buried her head in her hands as Milo and Zack stared in open mouthed shock. “That one almost worked… They were so close!” Milo lamented.

Zack sighed. “Maybe we shouldn’t try and force them… maybe we should just let nature take its course?”

Lotte rolled her eyes. “Zack, we’d be waiting for the end of time if we did. No, what we need to do is—” Lotte suddenly stopped and stuck her arms out, as if trying to regain balance. “Oh, that isn’t good…”

“Lotte, are you ok?” Melissa asked, concerned.

The green-haired girl shook her head slowly, bringing her hands to her temples and lightly massaging them. Judging by how her face was scrunched up, the kids knew she was experiencing some pain. Nervous, Zack called out to Cavendish and Dakota, only for Lotte to tell him “Please, no shouting…”

The other two time-travelers rushed over, concerned etched on their faces. Milo motioned for them to speak in hushed tones before Dakota asked, “What’s wrong?”

Lotte wobbled a bit, and Milo and Zack both reached out a hand to help her balance. Lotte slowly shook her head and mumbled “… Hurts…” Cavendish blinked at her before realization hit him. Turning to Dakota, he whispered “Migraines.”

Dakota’s eyes widened in realization. “Ok, ok… Lotte, do you have any medicine on you?” The green-haired girl shook her head vigorously, then regretted the decision, as she was forced to lean heavily onto Milo and Cavendish for help standing up. Dakota turned to Milo, “Do you have anything in your backpack for this?”

Milo shook his head. “I’m only allowed to carry a small bottle of ibuprofen in my bag. Legal reasons and all.”

Lotte, whose face was buried into Cavendish’s shoulder in an attempt to block out light, said in such a low tone it was hard for anyone to hear her “… Lie down… dark…”

“There’s a mattress store by the elevator we came out of.” Zack suggested. “It’s not very dark, though.”

“I got towels in my backpack. My dad says a wet towel or rag can really help a migraine, so I could use it to block out light and bring relief. I also got noise cancelling headphones, if that helps.” Lotte nodded once, agreeing with the plan.

Cavendish brought Lotte’s arm around his shoulder and motioned for Milo to do the same with her other arm. “Milo and I will take her to the mattress store and get her situated. Zack, you go back to the food-court and get her something to drink. Something with caffeine in it, if you can.” Zack nodded and dashed out of the store towards the food court. Cavendish turned to Dakota and Melissa, “You two stay here and finish up the transaction we started. Join us as soon as you can, alright?” Dakota and Melissa nodded, still concerned over Lotte.

After Milo handed Melissa the bag of supplies he had been carrying around, he and Cavendish escorted Lotte to the mattress store, going as slow as she wanted, while also trying to block out as much noise and light as possible.

**_–Meanwhile, with Brick and Chip–_ **

The bottle of Green Gush fell to the bottom of the vending machine with an unimpressive _thunk_. Brick reached in and grabbed it, giving the soda a wary look. “Three-hundred and one dollars… for this.” Brick looked down at the TICC in his hands.

“It’s worth it, trust me!” Chip reassured him.

“You keep saying that.”

“Because it’s true!” Chip smiled encouragingly, motioning for Brick to take the TICC.

The top-agent shrugged. “Bottoms up, I guess.” Popping the TICC pill into his mouth, Brick opened the Green Gush bottle and took a swig, his nose wrinkling in disgust as the flavor hit his tongue. After swallowing, Brick brought the drink away from his mouth and wiped it in disgust. “God, that tasted terrible!”

“You’ll get used to it.” Chip said cryptically. After a moment, Chip looked at him expectantly. Brick’s eyes shifted from his hands to his arms and then back to his hands. He didn’t feel different or special or even anything out of the ordinary. “Nothing.”

Chip blinked in surprise. “Nothing? Absolutely nothing at all?!”

Brick nodded then a thought occurred to him. “If I have to drink more of this terrible soda, I’m out!”

Chip shook his head, stroking his chin in thought. “No, no… If you tasted it, you obviously had enough to activate it.” He turned back to Brick. “Try saying something cool.”

Brick thought briefly before blurting out, “I think I just cheated us both out of three-hundred-and-one dollars on this cheap drink and a placebo pill…”

Chip deadpanned. “Nope… not cool… not even chill.” The man shook his head and groaned in frustration. “Great, just great! This is a real setback for the plan!” Before Brick could question what he meant, Chip was storming off in the direction of the shoe store. “Meet me in five minutes, I gotta go talk to my guy.” And he was gone.

Brick glanced at the bottle of Green Gush in his hand. Frowning in disgust, Brick walked over to the nearby trashcan and tossed it in and then, feeling like a chump, leaned against the can. “Well now what the hell am I supposed to do?”

Just then, out of the corner, Brick saw the Zack-boy who seemed to hang around that Milo-kid dash over to the vending machine Chip and himself just stood in front of. The boy frantically inserted a dollar and some change before quickly hitting the buttons. Bouncing nervously on the balls of his feet, the Zack-boy watched impatiently as a bottle of Green Gush fell to the bottom of the vending machine. The boy quickly snatched it out of the machine and ran back in the direction he came from, only to double back and rush over to a nearby taco stand and grab a straw from the vendor, before rushing back in the direction he came.

Suspicious, Brick forgot Chip’s directions and started to trail after the Zack-boy. He kept his distance, so no one would suspect anything, but also walked at a quick enough pace so he wouldn’t lose him. Brick followed the boy to the top floor of the mall and to a mattress store. Brick watched from behind a nearby post as the boy brought the drink with the straw to Lotte, who was lying on a mattress with a towel across her face and wearing some type of headphones. Cooperdink and the Milo-kid were nearby, wearing concerned looks. Brick watched as Zack handed the drink to Lotte, who seemed happy (if not just a bit tired) to receive the drink.

Realizing that, while weird, there was nothing suspicious going on, Brick turned to leave, but he heard faint music coming from a couple stores down. Curious, Brick abandoned his post and went to go investigate. As he got closer, he was able to make out lyrics to the song that was playing.

_“~I think you're seein' what I've been sayin', 'cause I hear you singin' to the tune I'm playin'. And now that it's said and we both understand; let's say our goodbyes before it gets out of hand~”_ Brick approached a hipster-music store, head unconsciously nodding along to the beat. He entered the store and found nothing out of the ordinary. Until he heard a young girl laughing and turned to find the Melissa-girl being spun around by Vinnie Dakota, the two of them appearing to be having a good time as they danced, and Vinnie sang along to the song. _“~Bye! Bye, Baby! I'd really like to stay, but we'll remember the best time in our life~”_

Brick had never heard Vinnie sing before. It was rough, but angelic. It had a certain quality to it; like he never had a formal singing-lesson, but it wasn’t the first time he had been singing. Brick smiled dreamily, he loved finding out this stuff about Dakota, it was like finding a puzzle piece after it being missing for so long.

For the chorus, the Melissa-girl joined in the singing as she and Dakota performed a little dance. _“~We had a wham, bam shang-a-lang! And a sha-la-la-la-la-la, babe. Wham bam shang-a-lang! And a sha-la-la-la-la-la babe. We had a wham, bam shang-a-lang! And a sha-la-la-la-la-la, babe…~”_ As the song faded, the two laughed merrily. Melissa wiped a tear from her eye. “That was fun! And I really like this song.”

Dakota tapped the screen, smiling coolly. “Yeah, you can nevah go wrong with _Silver_. Oldie, but a goodie, I always say.”

“I’ve never heard you say that. before.” Melissa teased. She went over and tapped the computer screen a few times before a tiny slip of paper came out of the printer just underneath it. “But, the good news we completed the album for the Pre-Show! Mr. Drako will be so happy.”

Dakota continued to smile and gestured to the slip of paper. “Want me to get the bill?”

Melissa shook her head. “Mr. Drako gave Zack and I some money to pay for everything. We’re good, but thanks anyway.” She started to walk to the cash register, slip in hand.

“Ooh, ooh! Melissa, hang on a second!” Dakota turned to the computer excitedly and tapped it a couple times before the song they were playing earlier, started to play again. The two friends exchanged cool smirks before Melissa started to dance her way to the cash register, leaving Dakota to dance by the computer.

As the tracksuit wearing man continued to dance, Brick just stared on in awe. He was never worried about what others thought. He was easy-going, relaxed, and just usually did what he wanted without considering what others might think. Brick knew that he would be to self-conscious to dance to some song from the 1970’s in the middle of a hipster-music store in a crowded mall. Yet, Vinnie Dakota was doing just that, and with an ease and grace that suggested he had done this before and would continue to do it.

It was enchanting, just like everything else about Vinnie Dakota.

“Yo, Brick!” The top-agent blanched, his heart coming to a stop. “What’cha doin’ here, dude?”

Embarrassed at being caught ogling Dakota, Brick tugged at his collar, contemplating running out of the shop and jumping the railing just to avoid this conversation. “I was… um… on a mission…?”

Not seeming to notice the man’s sudden nervousness, Dakota approached Brick. “That’s cool. You taking a break or somethin’?”

“Yyeeeess?” Brick eyes shifted across the store nervously. He noticed Melissa glaring at him in suspicion. “I heard music playing… and I thought—”

“That you’d come check it out?” Dakota chuckled, glancing at some shelves of records before turning his attention back to Brick. “Yeah, this place isn’t half-bad actually. I mean, yeah, where we’re from we naturally have more variety, but for early 21st century, this ain’t that bad of a set-up.”

Brick nodded vigorously. “Yep! Yep, looks, uh… really _vintage_.”

“Heh, yeah that’s the early-hipster for ya. So, you like _Silver_?”

“Um, I guess it’s a cool metal but—”

Dakota chuckled and shook his head, gesturing back to the computer that was still playing the song. “Nah, man. _Silver_ the band. The one singing _Wham Bam_ right now… Well, not right now, since it’s a recordin’, but y’know what I mean.” Upon seeing the lost expression on Brick’s face, Dakota further elaborated, “I saw you smilin’ when I was dancing, so I figured you really liked the song.”

If it was possible, Brick turned a deeper shade of red. “Uh, y-yes! That’s it! I… _really like the song_.”

“Me too! Gotta be in my top-ten songs of all time, honestly…”

“R-really?” Brick straightened just a bit. “I’d say top fifteen, at least.” Brick knew he was talking out of his ass, but he couldn’t help it, he was learning more about Dakota. “You know, maybe sometime we could get together and talk about our favorite—” A sharp, sudden, stabbing pain in Brick’s head cut him off. “Ow!”

“Brick?” Dakota asked, a little concerned.

**_“Target male; inaccessible.”_** At that moment, a legion of monotone, robotic, female voices told Brick. The top-agent glanced around, trying to figure out where the voices were coming from. Another sharp, stabbing pain in his head made Brick step back from Dakota, gripping his head in an attempt to relieve the pain.

“Brick, you ok?” Dakota asked again, more concerned.

“Ugh—what the hell is going on?” Brick mumbled, clearly in pain.

**_“Calibration in progress.”_** The voices told Brick as another round of pain entered his head. **_“Please excuse some mild discomfort.”_**

“Mild?!” Brick questioned as another round of pain nearly sent him to his knees.

“Brick, what’s wrong?!” Dakota asked, hands out to the man in case he needed to catch him.

From over by the cash register, Brick heard Melissa shout to Dakota “That guy’s freaking the freak out!”

**_“Calibration complete. Access procedure; initiated.”_** The voices told him. The pain subsided a bit and Brick was able to stand a bit better.

“Whoa-whoa-wait… Wait-wait-wait-wait…” Brick exhaled. He glanced around to see Dakota, Melissa, and the cashier looking at him with a mix of concern and confusion, and he noticed Melissa had her phone trained on him. It hurt to look directly at any light sources and the loud volume of the song Dakota had playing in the background didn’t help, but overall, Brick was ok. “I’m fine. I just… I just need—”

**_“Warning: discomfort level may increase.”_ **

It was as if someone had stuck electrodes in Brick’s brain and turned the power up full blast. Brick doubled over in pain, clutching his forehead, screaming in agony. His vision blurred and the sounds around him muffled, as if someone had stuffed cotton into his ears. Around him, he saw a yellow-and-orange blurry blob kneel down beside him while a smaller, pink-black-and-white blurry blob rushed to the first blob’s side. Brick thought he heard a few people asking if he was ok, but he wasn’t quite sure.

**_“Accessing neural memory… Accessing muscle memory… Access procedure: complete.”_** Finally, the pain subsided, and Brick was left clutching his head, panting in exhaustion. Staring at the floor through his blurry vision, still not hearing anything clearly, except the voices that—Brick realized belatedly—was coming from inside his head.

As his vision began to clear, the voices spoke again. **_“Agent Brick Dalton, Time-Traveler first-class, welcome to your Tiny Intel Core Computer. Your TICC.”_**


	5. Be More Chill

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Brick gets acquainted with his new TICC, the children learn why their favorite soda is being taken off the market...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s my Valentines Day Gift to all of you. For the record, Jonah is voiced by Daveed Diggs and Aiden is voiced by Anthony Ramos. Also huge shout-out to wiz-witch on Tumblr for proof-reading the major musical number for this chapter, thank you friend!

**_–In the 21 st century–_ **

Brick was unsure of how to move forward from this. His vision was almost all clear, it was just a bit fuzzy around the edges. He heard a distinctive humming in his ears, as if there was a machine in his brain. Which, considering the context of the situation, was true.

“Brick? You ok, buddy?” Dakota asked, kneeling down by him, one hand on his shoulder and the other held out to him. If Brick had been in his right of mind, he would have been thrilled at the aspect of Dakota touching him, but considering the entire room seemed to be tilting dangerously to the right, he couldn’t give it much thought.

“Should I, like, call an ambulance or something?” Melissa asked from her place behind Dakota.

“You haven’t already?” Dakota asked.

“No.”

“Then why has your phone been out this whole time and why is it pointed at… Melissa, what have you been doing this whole time?”

Melissa averted her gaze and slowly and awkwardly stuffed her phone in her pocket. “Nothing…”

Dakota narrowed his eyes at the young girl in suspicion “… If I find out you recorded what just happened, you’re gonna be in a lotta trouble.” The tracksuit wearing man turned back to the top-agent who was still gripping his head. There was still a faint pain in Brick’s head. Almost like a migraine.

**_“Don’t worry, Brick. Help is on the way.”_** Brick glanced around trying to figure out who was speaking to him, until he remembered the voice was coming from inside his head.

“Brick, you ok, buddy?”

**_“Stand up slowly and repeat after me: Yeah, I’m fine.”_ **

Seeing no other option, Brick did as the TICC instructed. “Yeah, I’m fine…” Brick wobbled a bit as he stood, Dakota and Melissa’s hands reached out to steady him, but he waved them away.

**_“I just had a migraine, is all.”_ **

“I just had a… migraine. That’s all.” Brick smiled weakly, praying that neither of the two in front of him picked up on his lie.

Thankfully, neither Melissa or Dakota seemed to notice. Instead, Melissa’s brows furrowed as she turned to Dakota. “Are migraines contagious?”

“No…”

“Because I was just thinking that it’s a little weird that _he_ ,” Melissa gave Brick an odd look, a combination of a suspicious glare and a concerned frown, “had a very vocal freak-out to a migraine when Lotte just had one not even ten minutes—”

“There you are, Brick!” Chip announced loudly, entering the store.

“Chip?” Brick questioned.

**_“The help I sent for.”_** The TICC explained. **_“Just relax and do as Chip and I instruct. If you do, you’ll walk out with minimal damage to your social reputation and your standing with Vinnie Dakota.”_**

Chip slung a comforting arm around Brick’s shoulders. “I think I found what we came here for, so stop procrastinating and let’s go, man.”

Dakota blinked at the newcomer. “Do… Do I know you from somewhere? Because you seem really familiar.”

Chip sent Dakota a friendly smile. “Well, we might have crossed-paths once or twice, considering our… _line of work_.”

As Dakota narrowed his eyes curiously at the man, Melissa raised a brow. “You work with Mr. Dakota?”

Chip looked down at Melissa, giving her an overly friendly smile. “You bet I do, little girl!”

“ _Little girl_?”

Chip nodded towards Brick, who seemed a little lost himself. “I work with this loveable rogue too.”

“Really?” Dakota asked, skeptical. “Because I swear I’ve seen ya hanging out with someone else.”

“Wouldn’t surprise me…” Brick mumbled under his breath.

“Wait, loveable rogue?” Melissa questioned.

Chip’s smile at Melissa grew wider, bordering on creepy. The curly-haired man fished into his back pocket for a moment before pulling out a wrinkled dollar bill. “Cute kid ya got there, Dakota. Here you go, sweetie,” Chip handed the dollar to Melissa, who stared at it confusion and slight offense, “why don’t you go buy yourself a candy-bar, alright? As for the two of us, Brick and I have business to attend.” Chip steered Brick towards the exit, waving good-bye over his shoulder. “Let’s do this again sometime, alright?”

As the two men left the store, Dakota and Melissa exchanged confused glances. “Well, _that_ was strange.”

“I know!” Melissa glared down at the dollar in her hand. “In what decade did candy bars cost less than a dollar?”

**_–With Brick and Chip–_ **

The two agents had come to stop by a pretzel stand on the first floor of the mall. Far enough away from Vinnie Dakota and Melissa as to not draw to much suspicion on his current state, but still in the mall for… whatever it was his TICC and Chip wanted to do to him.

Brick gazed at his reflection in a nearby store window. The top-agent couldn’t help but check himself over, trying to find any imperfection, anything out of the ordinary.

**_“You seem anxious, Brick”_** The man rolled his eyes at the obvious statement as he studied his face in the mirror. **_“You know, the type of behavior your exhibiting might be indicative of narcissism.”_**

Chip laughed, as if hearing Brick’s TICC, which made Brick feel offended and confused. The top-agent turned to Chip. “Can you hear it?” The curly-haired man nodded. “How? It’s in my head!”

**_“I have synced Chip Wolowitz’s TICC implant with yours for optimal improvement possibilities.”_ **

Noticing that Brick didn’t look any less calm, Chip spoke up. “Don’t worry, pal. I can’t hear any of your thoughts, and you can’t hear mine. We can only hear the TICC.”

“Your TICC, or my TICC?”

“Well, if you want to be technical, they’re one in the same.”

**_“All TICC’s up to Model 3-BC have the capability to connect and interface with each other to provide better service to our hosts.”_** Brick blinked, glancing at his reflection in the store window again.

“Does the TICC sound… _familiar_ to you?” Brick asked Chip.

“I’ve had this thing in my head since New Year’s, pal. You’ll have to be more specific.”

“I mean… It’s just I swear, the voices sound so familiar, like I’ve heard them somewhere else before.” In the reflection, Brick saw Chip suddenly tense up, appearing to be nervous.

**_“It might be my default mode, Brick.”_** The TICC explained. **_“I am programmed to automatically assimilate vocal patterns of the technologies_ Siri _and_ Alexa _for the hosts comfort.”_** Brick stared at his reflection in mild confusion. For a moment, all he could hear was the humming in his ears.

“No… I don’t think that’s it.” A sudden pain in his head made Brick wince. “Ow! Why the hell does that keep happening?”

“It’s just the TICC’s way of telling you to shut the hell up so it can do its job.” Chip snarked, pulling Brick away from the store window and to a more secluded spot behind a large, potted plant. “And what is its _job_ exactly?’ Brick asked

**_“I am programmed to help the host, Brick Dalton, improve himself enough to be able to date Vinnie Dakota.”_** Brick’s eyes widened in surprise. Forgetting himself for a moment, Brick raised a brow.

“You can really help me get with Dakota?”

**_“After a few modifications, I can make Vinnie Dakota do whatever you want him to. It will take some work, though.”_ **

Chip looked at him in surprise. “Really? Dakota? Huh, I honestly was not expecting that.”

Brick glanced at the ground, sheepishly. “Neither was I.”

**_“Shall I begin assessments, so I can fully understand what needs to be modified?”_** The TICC asked Brick, who shrugged. “Sure? Go ahead.”

The humming in his ears grew louder, almost deafening, and Chip started to circle Brick, stroking his chin, and humming thoughtfully. **_“Assessment complete. Beginning modification process.”_** Just then, music started to play in Brick’s ear.

“Wait, why are you playing… _Oh no_.”

**_“~Take your hands out of your pockets. Arch your back, puff out your chest~”_** The TICC sang as Chip readjusted Bricks posture from behind.   ** _“Add some swagger to your gait or you'll look like a masturbator. Fix your posture, then the rest~”_**

Brick glared slightly. “I am not a masturbator—”

“That explains a lot.” Chip laughed before giving Brick a critical eye. _“~All your bitchines is ugly~”_

Offended, Brick spun around to face Chip. “Bitch?! Where do you come off of? Calling me a—”

**_“~All your questions are chore~”_** The TICC informed him.

Confused and, honestly, already annoyed with the back-and-forth, Brick sighed. “What do you mean by that exactly?”

**_“~Your tics and fidgets are persistent~”_ **

_“~And your charm is almost non-existent~”_

**_“_** _~ **W** e **’** l **l** f **i** x **y** o **u** r **v** i **b** e **,** t **h** e **n** f **i** x **s** o **m** e **m** o **r** e **!** ~ **”**_ Chip and the TICC chorused.

Uncertainty settled in Brick’s stomach, but before he could open his mouth, the TICC stopped him. “Buh.”

“What—”

**_“Buh!_ **

“But—”

**_“Aah!”_ **

“I—”

**_“No.”_ **

“Just—”

“Stop.” Chip slapped his hand over Brick’s mouth, the top-agent wasn’t sure if it was his own doing or his TICC was telling him to do it. “~Oh, everything about you is so terrible!~” Brick’s mouth hung open slightly and he glanced down at himself, suddenly feeling self-conscious as Chip continued. “~Whoa, everything about you makes me wanna die!~”

“Great Googly-Moogly, what did I just get myself into?”

**_“~So, don't freak out—and don't resist! And have no doubt, that when I assist~”_ **

_“~You w-i-i-l-l-l, be more chill~”_ Chip smirked confidentially, and Brick felt himself relax, apart from the tingling sensation in his head. Brick shrugged slightly, chill. Yeah, that sounded nice. Brick felt so relaxed that he unconsciously started to slouch, and that’s when he felt a shock travel through his body.

“Ow! Did you just shock me?!”

**_“You were slouching. Now, first thing's first, you need a new look.”_** Brick glanced down at himself.

“What’s wrong with how I look?” Brick asked, only to have Chip shush him as he began to lead the man towards a clothing store. _“~It’s better if you just comply~”_

**_“~My job is to color your aesthetic, and make you seem more sympathetic. So, just step and fetch, and don't ask me why~”_ **

Chip guided Brick into a men’s clothing store. The top-agent’s eyes immediately trained on the suits on the back wall out of habit, but a minor shock from his TICC made him glance away. The top-agent glanced around until his eyes landed on a rack of designer sports jackets. **_“Over there.”_** Brick suddenly felt his legs moving towards the rack of jackets of their own will.

Noticing his new companion’s sudden panic, Chip was quick to reassure. “Don’t worry! The TICC knows what it’s doing!”

Brick, still not in control of his limbs, gave Chip a withering look. “Yeah, but would a heads-up have killed me or the TICC?” Brick felts his hands shoot into the rack and pull out a navy-blue sports jacket. His arms relaxed slightly and, as an experiment to see if he once again had control of his limbs, Brick checked the label inside. “Gaston Le Mode? You want me to wear Gaston Le Mode?”

“You’re very astute, Brick.” Chip commented dryly.

**_“Yes. It almost makes me wonder why you need me in the first place.”_ **

“I can do without the peanut gallery, y’know?” Brick received a small shock for that comment, though he didn’t really regret saying it. “Do people in this century wear him anymore?”

**_“Irrelevant. My quantum structure and database analysis programming allow me to envision possible future outcomes. I envision and calculated for a future where you wear this jacket and have a more statistically favorable outcome.”_ **

Brick raised a brow at the jacket in his hand, feeling unsure. He felt a humming in his ear along with a slight pinch, and judging by Chip’s expression, he felt it too. The curly-haired man nodded, giving Brick and the jacket a once more.

“Yeah, I think I know just what to get. Let’s move, Brick.” Chip grabbed his shoulders and pushed him towards the opposite end of the store.

“Are you sure your ‘calculations’ are correct?” Brick asked.

**_“Brick, I’m a highly advanced supercomputer; my calculations are always correct.”_** The TICC told him matter-of-factly. That’s when the music picked back up again, much to Brick’s chagrin.

_“~Oh, everything about you is so terrible~”_

As Chip sang, Brick felt a stinging sensation in his brain and when he glanced up again, he felt as though there were a million eyes on him, which, as a secret agent, made him very uneasy. He glanced around and saw almost everyone at the store glaring at him in a judgmental way. However, his vision seemed a little hazy at the moment, so Brick wasn’t sure if it was real or not.

**_“_** _~ **E** v **e** r **y** t **h** i **n** g **a** b **o** u **t** y **o** u **s** u **c** k **s** , **e** v **e** r **y** t **h** i **n** g **a** b **o** u **t** y **o** u **s** u **c** k **s** ~ **”**_ the people in the store seemed to sing, thinly veiled disgust entering their tone. Suddenly feeling self-conscious, Brick tried to avoid their glares, but Chip forced him to keep looking forward.

_“~Whoa, everything about you makes me wanna die!~”_ Chip sang.

**_“_ ** _~ **E** v **e** r **y** t **h** i **n** g **a** b **o** u **t** y **o** u **s** u **c** k **s**! **E** v **e** r **y** t **h** i **n** g **a** b **o** u **t** y **o** u **s** u **c** k **s**! **~** ”_

From behind him, Chip smirked darkly. He knew what the TICC was doing, as his had done something similar when he first got it. It was all a part of the plan. _“~All the People in the Mall think you're such a prick~”_

**_“_ ** _~ **Y** o **u** ' **r** e **a** p **r** i **c** k **!** T **e** r **r** i **b** l **e**! **J** u **s** t **t** h **e** w **o** r **s** t **!** ~ **”**_

Brick glanced down at the ground as he and Chip came to a stop by shirts, feeling not so great about himself as the TICC sang, **_“~And boy, can I see why!~”_** The humming in his ears returned to normal as he glanced at the rack of shirts. **_“Now, try picking a shirt.”_**

Brick glanced at the rack of shirts, feeling a little out of his elements. Folding the jacket into the crook of his arm, the top-agent shuffled through the shirts until his eyes landed on one that looked moderately appealing. “This one. I guess…”

Chip facepalmed, giving Brick a sour look. “That’s a blouse. As in a woman’s shirt.”

**_“Would you like me to pick one out for you?”_** The TICC asked in a condescending tone.

Brick furrowed his brow. “Ok, I think I can handle one of you being condescending to me, but not both!”

“Brick? Is that you?”

Oh, shit on a shingle, why now? Brick internally winced. Plastering on the best fake-smile he could muster he turned around to face what was possibly the worst possible thing to happen to him at the moment. “Hey, Jonah. What’re you doing here?”

Jonah Olwyn; Time-Travelers 2nd Class. The man—dressed as if he came from a 1950’s biker joint—was often put in charge of the music scene. Making sure that the events leading up to and following certain historical music events did happen. The reason we have Woodstock? Jonah Olwyn planted the idea in Michael Lang’s head. The reason Elvis was drafted? Jonah Olwyn accidentally typed the wrong name in. The reason the musical about that guy on the ten-dollar bill was such a big hit? Jonah Olwyn left a biography on the man lying around where a songwriter would just so happen to find it.

If some big incident occurred around a musical scene, Jonah Olwyn was probably responsible for it. The problem was, Jonah was--for lack of a better word--difficult to be around. Quick to pass judgement—whether good or bad (mostly bad) on anything and everything—temperamental, and Jonah had a reputation for being petty. Brick knew for a fact that Savannah hated this man’s guts, though he wasn’t sure why—he thinks it might’ve been over some tiff they had when Savannah started at the Bureau—and he would prefer to keep it that way. Now, he didn’t have anything against Jonah, but it was better to stay out of needless drama than stir the pot.

“There was a power outage in 2176, the whole city-block is down. Mr. Block gave us all temporary time off while the electric companies try and figure out what caused the problem.” Jonah shrugged and leaned against a nearby rack of pants. “From what I’ve gathered, though, it’s possible the power outage was caused by the virus at the Bureau.”

Brick rolled his eyes. “Of course it was…”

“So, my partner and I decided to be rebels and come back and get some of our favorite soda before it gets discontinued.” Cece smiled inquisitively at him. “What about you?”

“I was on a mission before—” Brick felt a sudden pain in his head, stopping that sentence cold.

**_“You and Chip were getting lunch.”_ **

Brick blinked in confusion. “Chip and I were getting lunch…?”

“Oh, I didn’t know you and Chip were partners,” Jonah noted.

Chip smirked confidentially at the 2nd class agent, “I bet there’s a lot you don’t know…”

“There you are, Jonah!” a male voice called out as Brick internally cursed his luck. What, was the entire Bureau spending their time-off in the 21st century?!

“I didn’t go far, Aiden. But, hey, look who I found,” Jonah nodded towards Brick and Chip, the former’s fake smile growing more strained. However, he felt his cheek muscles relaxing, allowing a more natural looking smile.

**_“Relax. I’m here if you need help,”_** the TICC told him as two men approached the small group.

Aiden Rosetti--Jonah’s partner, a fellow time-traveler, and probably the only person in the entire Bureau of Time Travel that Jonah actually liked. The two were always together and were often seen to be quite chummy. Aiden—who was dressed like he came from a 1950’s Sock-Hop—seemed to be one of the few people who could actually make Jonah smile.

Jonah smiled at his partner before raising his brow at Brick, “So, what’re you doing here?”

“I, uh… I was shopping!”

Jonah sent Brick a dubious look. “Really? You shop here?”

“O-of course I—” Brick started but was cut off by a sudden stinging sensation in his head.

**_“You’ve never shopped here before.”_ **

“I’ve never shopped here before!” Brick corrected himself. The TICC relaxed his arm muscles so the jacket he was holding fell out of his arm, and Chip moved to stand by Brick, discreetly covering the move and hiding the evidence behind his back.

**_“Good. Now, greet the Beta.”_** If Brick could control any of his facial movements right now, he’d be frowning in confusion. Beta? He glanced around and quickly made a mental list. Chip was out (for multiple obvious reasons), as was Jonah (who seemed to be sizing him up). Brick glanced at Aiden, who glanced out from his curtain of pink hair, looking a little out of place, as if he was unsure of how he fit into this whole conversation. A slight buzzing sensation in the back of his head told Brick that he was the Beta.

“Hey, Aiden,” Brick smiled at the man in question.

**_“You look sexy.”_ **

Panic shot through Brick. ‘I am not saying that! I can’t say it…’

**_“Relax.”_** Brick felt his muscles relax of their own accord, and amidst his panic began to wonder just how much control over his body the TICC had. **_“Don’t smile. Stare intensely; speak as if you’re not afraid of your own death.”_**

Following its instructions, Brick turned to Aiden and said, “You look pretty sexy, Aiden.”

Blushing, the man smiled. “Thanks.”

Jonah glared at Brick and then at the article of clothing he still held in his hand. “Is that a blouse?”

“No!”

**_“Yes.”_ **

“I mean, yes!”

**_“Repeat after me.”_** The TICC told him. ** _“~I saw it in the window…~”_**

“~I saw it in the window…~”

**_“~And I couldn't dismiss~”_ **

_“~And I couldn't dismiss~”_ Brick wasn’t sure what he was more surprised of at this point; the fact that everyone seemed to be buying what the TICC said, or that he was singing.

**_“~I was dating a girl…~”_ **

_“~I was dating a girl…~”_

**_“~And she had a shirt just like this~”_ **

_“~And she had a shirt just like this~”_

**_“~It’s still painful!~”_ **

_“~It’s still painful…~”_

Chip sent Brick a discreet thumb up, impressed by how well Brick was taking to the TICC. Aiden raised a brow, smiling slightly. “So, who was this mystery girl?”

Brick exhaled slowly. “Who was she? Ah, well, the thing is she—”

**_“~Savannah~”_ **

_“~Savannah?~”_ Brick found himself singing without really wanting to.

“What?!” Aiden asked, shocked.

Jonah frowned and grumbled “I knew I should’ve placed that bet.” Brick made a mental note to look into that later. The top-agent felt himself nodding along as the words “True story,” spilled from his lips without him even realizing it.

“So, wait, what happened?” Aiden asked.

“Yeah, did she break up with you or something?”

Knowing that once Savannah caught whiff of this (because Jonah was bound to spread this news like wildfire) she would kill him, Brick decided to give her one saving grace. “Yeah—”

**_“No.”_ **

Suddenly nervous about what the TICC was planning and uncertain of what was about to happen, Brick cut himself off. “I mean, uh…”

**_“~I broke up with her~”_ **

_“~I broke up with her!~”_

**_“~Because she was cheating on me!~”_ **

_“~Because she was cheating on me?~”_ Apparently, some of Brick’s confusion accidentally leaked into his voice as he sang, as Chip stepped on Brick’s foot before whispering to the man, “Hey, Titus Andronicus, be more chill, will ya?”

Jonah turned to his partner, a smug look on his face. “I told you she was a slut Aiden…”

Aiden nodded in agreement, “I didn’t want to believe it, but I guess when you’re right, you’re right.” A light went on behind his eyes. “Do you think the rumor about her sleeping her way too top-agent is true?”

Jonah rolled his eyes. “That’s as given as the fact that I just got cheated in a betting pool.”

Aiden sent him a look. “Can you really be cheated if you never participated?”

“Touché.” Jonah smirked at his friend. Brick, meanwhile stared on in confusion before turning to Chip, jerking a thumb in Jonah and Aiden’s general direction.

“What’s that all about?”

“The office betting pool? What; you didn’t know about it by now?” Chip asked.

“Not that! I mean… _that_.” Brick gestured to the two 2 nd class-agents, who were quietly chatting to themselves.

**_“Shared dislike or bad opinions of a person are the quickest way to form social bonds. And my databases have concluded that it is imperative that you form a social bond with these two specifically.”_** The TICC explained.

Aiden approached and lightly tapped Brick on the shoulder. “So, Jonah said you two were getting lunch?”

“Uh, yeah…” Brick nodded slowly, trying to keep up with the web of lies he was currently spinning.

“But we haven’t had a chance to yet.” Chip informed the other time-traveler. “Would you and your partner care to join us?”

Aiden smiled brightly. “Sounds great!” As the man turned to rejoin his partner with the invitation to lunch, Brick couldn’t help but feel a little guilty for throwing Savannah under the bus.

**_–Meanwhile, with the Time-Traveling Trio and Milo, Melissa, and Zack–_ **

Cavendish, Milo, and Zack all winced at the video, second-hand shame coursing through them all. Dakota and Melissa nodded along, understanding completely. Lotte was still recovering from her migraine, but she was able to do without the noise cancelling headphones, so she no doubt heard the video.

When the video was over, Cavendish handed the phone back to Melissa, mildly concerned. “So, Brick just started… well, doing _that_ in the middle of the store?”

Dakota nodded. “Yeah! There was no warnin’ at all. It was really weird…”

“Almost as weird as that guy who came in and dragged him away calling me a little girl and giving me a dollar to buy a candy bar.” Melissa held up said dollar, rolling her eyes as she did so.

“Wait, just a dollar?” Lotte asked quietly from her spot on the mattress.

“Yep, just a dollar.” Milo told her.

There was a brief pause before Lotte asked, “He does know this is the early 21st century and that average candy bars cost 2.6% more due to inflation rates in the current economy, right?”

Dakota gave the green-haired woman an odd look, even if she couldn’t really see it. “Do you have the entire encyclopedia printed on ya eyelids or somethin’? Because there’s no way ya could have known that otherwise.” Cavendish nudged his partner and gave him a stern look; Dakota shrugged but dropped the subject. Cavendish turned to Melissa, “Why were you filming this anyway?”

Melissa shrugged, tucking her phone into her coat pocket, the dim blue light shining underneath the fabric indicated that it was still on. “I don’t know… I sort of went into autopilot I guess. It felt right…”

Zack crossed his arms. “I think you did the right thing, Melissa. Karma’s finally paying him back for what he did to the two of us.”

“What’d you mean?” Milo asked.

“Didn’t Melissa and I tell you? While you were with Cavendish and Dakota, that guy and some lady in a dress chased us through the sewers.”

Lotte lifted her head slightly, no one could see what facial expression she was making due to the towel over her face, but there was a certain ‘What kind of bullshit is this?’ tone in her voice that gave everyone a good idea. “Why would they do that?”

Zack shrugged. “Beats us. They said that they were with the Certified Public Accountant’s and tried to steal Milo’s backpack.”

Dakota snorted while Cavendish rolled his eyes. “Really? The old CPA bit?”

“No one’s used that since 2169!” Dakota shook his head, still chuckling. “At least we’re creative with our cover-ups, not to mention they work most of the time.”

“And then they chased us through the sewers!” Melissa added on.

Lotte and her ‘I don’t get paid enough for this shit’ tone shone through the next phrase. “Sweet lord, for being ‘the best agents’ they’re not that good at social skills, are they?”

“No kiddin’,” Dakota shrugged, “lately, whenever Brick comes near me, he starts stuttering and gets kinda sweaty lookin’.” The tracksuit wearing man shook his head, oblivious to the kids wide-eyed looks of realization. “Guy needs to read a book on social interaction or something.”

Cavendish shrugged, “I suppose that, while he might be good at his job, he isn’t perfect at everything.”

Lotte shifted to sit up more properly and, slowly lifting the towel so most of her face would still be covered, she shot the kids an ‘Are you guys hearing what I’m hearing?’ look. The kids responded with a ‘Yes, we heard, and this might jeopardize the plan(s) we came up with so let’s change the subject, like, yesterday’ look.

Zack chuckled awkwardly. “Well, it looks like he got what he deserved in the end. Guess you did the right thing, huh Melissa?”

Melissa laughed a little too loudly, “Sure did!”

Cavendish crossed his arms and gave Melissa a warning look, “Be that as it may, I hope you didn’t upload that video to the internet.”

“Of course not!” Melissa assured the mustached man. “I would never upload something without someone’s permission.” At that moment, Melissa’s phone went _Ping_ and Milo and Zack’s phones began to buzz. The three children checked their phones and their eyes went wide, something that neither Dakota or Cavendish missed.

“What’s wrong?” Dakota asked.

The three friends exchanged quick, panicked glances before furiously typing away at their phones. While Milo and Zack continued on for another few minutes, Melissa quickly held her phone behind her back, smiling sheepishly. “I also wouldn’t upload it _on purpose_ …”

“What did you just do?” Cavendish asked. When she didn’t give him an answer, he turned to Milo and Zack, who looked as equally sheepish. “Well…” Zack scratched the back of his neck nervously. “She may or may not have accidentally uploaded the video online and sent it to… _all_ of our friends.”

Lotte snorted, cracking a tiny smile. “That’s hilarious!”

“No, it’s not!” Cavendish admonished. “Milo let me see your,” Cavendish paused to reconsider that idea, “ _Zack_ , let me see your phone.”

The young boy handed the phone over, allowing Cavendish to see that yes, Melissa had uploaded the video, but she had already deleted it. However, that didn’t mean it was gone. Instead, a friend had reuploaded the video and it had gotten over one hundred likes and reblogs. Quite a few comments as well.

Dakota and Cavendish both levied disappointed glares at Melissa, who frowned apologetically. “I’m sorry! I guess I accidentally hit upload when I put it in my pocket…”

Dakota sighed. “I guess ya didn’t plan this, so we can’t really blame ya…”

“We deleted the links she sent to us. Does that help?” Milo asked.

“Considerin’ that video already has over two hundred likes at this point, it’s a hollow victory.” Dakota said, checking the screen over Cavendish’s shoulders.

“Would it be wrong of me to say that I’m really proud of Melissa right now?” Lotte smirked and gave a small shrug. “Ah, what the hell? Melissa, I am so proud of you right now!”

Cavendish sent his former-mentor a scathing look. “Lotte, don’t encourage this! Do you have any idea how livid Mr. Block will be when he—”

“Blockhead, schmockhead!” Lotte waved her hand, obviously not concerned. “I’ve seen how Brick acts, walking around like he’s some Sean Connery-wannabe when really, he’s more like Nicholas Cage just trying to make a good movie and failing, again.”

Melissa and Zack snorted before clutching their sides, falling into a fit of giggles. Cavendish and Dakota were a bit more restrained in their reactions to the joke, merely smiling in amusement. Milo only shook his head fondly at his friend, not really finding humor in a joke about a man he’s never really met.

Out of the corner of his eye, Milo caught sight of the TV store right next to the mattress store. On the many TV screens, a news bulletin came on. Curious, Milo stepped away from the group to get a closer look. Once the general announcement of the news bulletin passed, the words _‘CEO of GUSH Co., Verliezer bails man out of jail; cited as charity’_. The young boy’s eyes widened. “Hey, Melissa, Zack! Come check this out!” The boy turned back to the TV he was watching, only to have the screen go dark. Instead of worrying, however, Milo simply turned to another large screen on the display wall.

Melissa and Zack joined their friends’ side, with Cavendish and Dakota hovering behind them, more preoccupied with helping Lotte adjust the dark towel over her head to block out as much light as possible. “What’s up, Milo?” Zack asked.

“Look at this,” Milo pointed to the TV screen, only to have that one short circuit. The three kids merely turned their attention to yet another TV screen. Melissa and Zack’s eyes widened at what they saw. Meanwhile on the screen, the news story was playing out, with a brunette news anchor appearing on screen.

_“Good afternoon, I’m Bridgette Oshinomi. We have just received word that owner of GUSH Corporation’s, Valentine Verliezer has just bailed a man out of jail. Sources will not disclose who this man is, but we can confirm that this ‘jailbird’ has no familial connections, something that the Verliezer-family PR has made clear. We go now, to Gordon Gutsofanemu, at GUSH Corporation Head Quarters in downtown Danville. Gordon?”_

The scene switched to a man with reddish-brown hair in a suit inside of a corporate building. The man paused before smiling. _“Thank you, Bridgette. Yes, the man that Valentine Verliezer chose to bail out of jail has no familial connections, but, I actually was able to find the top-gun himself.”_ The camera zoomed out to reveal one Valentine Verliezer standing next to Gordon. The kids were stunned. Valentine bared an uncanny resemblance to Victor Verliezer, only with a bit greyer hair at the temples and neon green eyes. _“Now, Mr. Verliezer,”_

_“Call me Valentine.”_ Said man instructed Gordon.

_“Alright, now, Valentine, what prompted this sudden decision?”_

Valentine paused a bit, his neon green eyes flashing, before smiling coolly. _“If I’m going to be honest, it was my little brother, Victor who brought about this sudden change.”_

“What?!” The three kids exclaimed, drawing the time-traveler’s attentions to them and the news story.

_“Your brother, you say?”_

  _“Yes, Gordon, my brother, Victor. After he went out of business, I started to get nervous that he had tainted the proud Verliezer name with his horrible words to the public. So, I hired a… let’s call it a_ consultant _and they instructed that an act of charity might be a good-way to start. I thought, what better act of charity than bailing an innocent man out of prison?”_

_“Oh, so this man is innocent?”_ Gordon questioned, trying to probe more information out of the CEO. _“Was he wrongly convicted of a crime?”_

Valentine laughed good-naturedly, _“Come on, Gordon, you’re not playing fair. You know I can’t tell you any of that…”_

Gordon, though seemingly disappointed at not finding out who Verliezer had decided to be “charitable” towards, shrugged it off. _“Well, since I’ve got you here, I have to ask; why take Red Gush off the market? It was definitely your company’s most popular drink, so why make such a call?”_

Valentine had the guts to look sorrowful. _“The thing is, the company has been experiencing some financial difficulties as of late. And, while it pained me to do so, I was advised that the best course of action would be to remove Red Gush from production entirely.”_

_“Well, now I’m a little lost. How does taking the most popular item off production lines help solve financial problems?”_

_“You see, my new consultant specializes in data crunching and calculating long-term effects. They crunched some numbers and read some data and said that, long-term, this is the best course of action.”_

Just then, the entire wall of TV’s either short circuited, shut-off for no reason, or just fell backwards and shattered. It didn’t matter, the kids had seen enough. The trio of kids turned their backs on the TV wall, pouting. Dakota rolled his eyes fondly. “Ok, why are you guys so pouty?”

“Because we just found out a _Verliezer_ is responsible for taking our favorite brand of soda off the market!” Zack exclaimed, gesturing to the wall of no-longer-functional TV.

“You kids know the Verliezer’s?” Lotte asked as Cavendish pulled out his Inter-temporal Communicator.

“Kind of.” Milo told them. “We know Victor Verliezer.”

“How do you three know Victor Verliezer?” Lotte asked.

The kids shifted from one foot to another, chorusing out a sheepish “Weelllllllll…” in response.

“Aha! Here we go,” Cavendish cheered, scrolling down, he began to read, “Victor Verliezer was the CEO of V-Tech until a group of children live-streamed him… saying horrible things about… the public… causing the company to… you three were the children that recorded Victor Verliezer saying all those horrible things about the public and ran the company out of business, weren’t you?”

“Uh-huh.”

“You bet!”

“Guilty as charged,”

Dakota chuckled. “Dare I ask why?”

“He was trying to take the robot C.I.D.D. away from his zero, zero just to make a quick buck.” Melissa explained. The time-travelers blinked before Cavendish and Dakota shrugged. “We’ve heard weirder stories from you kids…”

Lotte smirked. “Again, I’d like to say, I am _so_ proud of you kids!”

Zack smiled and glanced back at the broken TVs. “Well, I guess we know why Red Gush was taken off the market…”

Cavendish furrowed his brow. “Hmm, that’s odd, I keep trying to find information on Valentine Verliezer’s confidant, but I can’t find anything.”

“Why do ya wanna find out about that?” Dakota asked.

“Well, to see how well the idea worked, obviously.”

“We already know how well the idea worked,” Lotte stated, “There’s no Red Gush in the future, so obviously, Valentine’s idea was a good one.”

“I think I’m with Cavendish on this one,” Melissa said, “that guy seems to be putting a lot of trust into some random stranger who’s good at crunching numbers and observing data.”

“And another thing, who’s that good at crunching numbers and observing data?” Zack added.

“Y’mean besides, Lotte?” Dakota teased, earning him a kick in the shins from Lotte.

The green-haired woman frowned. “So, I have a mathematical brain, what’s the big deal?”

“All I’m sayin’ is a lot of the stuff you know is pretty random.” Dakota raised his hands in defense. “It’s kinda weird. But a cool weird, if ya know what I mean.”

“For the sake of me _not_ getting another migraine, I’m just gonna say yes.”

“I can live with that.”

Just then, the window covering the TV wall came loose, dropping to the ground and shattering behind the group. Milo frowned slightly. “Maybe we should get going, before anything else happens.”

“Normally I’d point out the statistics of an event such as this happening again are 18%. But considering it’s a bit trickier to factor in Murphy’s Law related calculations, I’ll just agree and let you kids lead the way.” As the group made their way towards the elevator, Dakota leaned over and whispered to Cavendish and Melissa “Human computer…” In a teasing, sing-song voice.

**_–Meanwhile, with Brick and Chip–_ **

Brick glanced down at the soda in his hand. The group had gone to Taco Teepee for lunch, chatting and gossiping among themselves. All the while, Brick’s TICC had coached him on what to say, how to act, and everything in between.

It was… _unsettling_.

Oh sure, Brick was no stranger to putting on a façade. Being top-agent, he was expected to be able to switch between identities to get the job done. Only, back then, Brick was doing it to save the world. Why was he doing it now? To impress a few coworkers that he barely knew.

Wasn’t the point of him getting a TICC was so he could get back to being the best? To finally get off of Pistachio Duty? Didn’t Brick get the TICC to _finally_ get Dakota?

“… Don’t you think so Brick?’ Aiden asked. The top-agent blinked in confusion.

“Um, well—”

**_“Say you found the movie thought provoking, but relatively dry.”_** The TICC instructed.

“—the movie _was_ thought provoking, but, honestly, it was bit dry.” Brick repeated with a relaxed confidence he didn’t think he could project at the moment.

Jonah blinked, taking a bite of his burrito. “Really?” The man asked around a mouthful of food. “How so?”

Before panic could set in, the TICC instructed **_“Say: The love between the Canadian Diplomat and opera singer seemed rather forced, but the questions of free will were rather compelling.”_**

“Uh, well, that love story between the singer and Canadian guy seemed a bit cliché but the questions it proposed on free will were pretty interesting.”

**_“Right, because that’s exactly what I told you to say.”_** For whatever reason, Brick pictured the TICC rolling its eyes, even if it was just a computer.

“So, you didn’t like it?” Aiden asked.

**_“No.”_ **

Brick shrugged, taking a sip of his soda. “It was _okay_. But, definitely not in my top ten.”

Beside him, Chip sent Brick a look that clearly said, ‘The urge to smack you is getting harder to resist’. Thankfully, Aiden shrugged nonchalantly. “Eh, everyone’s got their opinions on movies. But, at least we can all agree that early 21st century superhero movies kick ass.” The group responded with positive affirmation as Aiden stood. “I think I’m gonna get one more soda refill before we leave.”

Jonah shook his cup, the ice rattling in his cup. “I think I’ll get one myself. I always put to much ice and not enough soda in the drink.” As the two stood to leave, Brick raised a brow and turned to Chip. “Wait, what movie were they talking about? I zoned out.”

“The Accommodation Organization.” Chip replied flatly. “Good thing the TICC’s are programmed to be autotuned into every conversation you have.”

“Wait… I actually like that movie. Why’d I say so many bad things about it?”

**_“To help build a social standing among new peers. Which brings me to this,”_** A sharp, stabbing pain made its way up Brick’s spine. The man wanted to cry out in pain, but the TICC had forced his mouth shut, **_“next time: repeat exactly what I say. I have calculated every possible thing you say affecting the bigger plan. Event the slightest change in script could result in catastrophic results.”_**

Slowly recovering from the pain that he had just endured, Brick blinked groggily. “W-what?”

“Listen to your TICC or bad shit will happen. Capiche?” Chip simplified for him.

Before Brick could respond, he noticed Aiden heading back to the table. The TICC noticed this as well and spoke up. **_“Aiden is going to offer you a ride. It is imperative that you accept.”_**

The pink haired man rejoined the table, full cup of soda in hand, before turning to Brick. The top-agent noticed that his new acquaintance seemed to be blushing slightly. “So, uh, Brick… Jonah and I were going to head back to the future and I was wondering, do you wanna ride back?”

**_“Yes.”_ **

“Yes… Oh! Wait, I’m supposed to be working right now.”

Aiden glanced down, slightly saddened. “Oh…”

**_“Brick, if this arrangement is going to work, you need to do as I instruct.”_** The TICC told its host.

“You sure about that, Brick?” Aiden asked, glancing up at the top-agent again, this time looking hopeful. Jonah joined the group at this moment, the other 2nd class-agent glancing between his partner and Brick. “Because I’d be more than willing to give you a ride.”

“What’s up?”

Chip smiled slightly and gestured to Aiden. “You’re buddy here just offered Brick a ride back to the future.”

Jonah hummed thoughtfully, eyes narrowing slightly at Brick, before he turned to Chip and raised a brow at the curly-haired man. “Don’t you wanna ride too?”

Chip shrugged. “Nah, I’ve still got some stuff to do around here.”

Brick shook his head, ignoring the humming in his ears. “I don’t want to be a bother…”

“Nonsense!” Aiden assured, smiling coyly at Brick. “It’ll be our _pleasure_ …”

Hearing the tone in Aiden’s voice, and the seeing blush creeping on the man’s face, Brick finally understood what was happening and what his TICC meant by “social bond”. And Brick was _not_ ok with it.

“Well, we do want to stop at a grocery store and pick up a case of Red Gush before we go back,” Jonah butted in, giving Brick a sour look, “but, yeah, we’ll give you a ride.”

**_“Accept the offer Brick.”_** His TICC told him. **_“Say: Yes.”_**

Brick felt the word bubble up in his throat, but he swallowed it and shook his head vehemently. “I can’t! I mean, I couldn’t… I still have my job to do.” Feeling the TICC buzzing in his brain and seeing Aiden’s disappointed look (and Jonah and Chip’s glares), Brick felt a little guilty. But what was he supposed to do? He couldn’t lead Aiden on like this, it was wrong!

Brick felt his mouth curve into an apologetic smile of its own accord and suddenly, the words “Next time, ok? I promise,” come tumbling out of their own accord.

Jonah rolls his eyes, indifferent. “Whatever. C’mon Aiden, let’s bounce.” The two men turn to leave, but Aiden hangs back, flashing Brick a sympathetic smile.

“I was cheated on too. Don’t worry, there’s someone out there for you…”

“Aiden! Let’s go!” Jonah called from a few feet away. Aiden waved a friendly (if not a bit shy and flirtatious) wave towards Brick and Chip, before hurrying off to catch up with his partner. Once they were out of earshot, Chip stood up so suddenly he knocked the chair over. The curly-haired man grabbed Brick roughly by the collar of his shirt and dragging him to a nearby men’s room.

Once inside, Chip threw Brick against the wall, startling the man, who blinked in confusion. “Ok… I think my first response is: _Ow! What the hell?!_ ”

“How stupid are you?’ Chip asked flatly, checking the stalls to see if there was anyone else in there with them. Finding no one, the man gave Brick a scathing look. “No, really, I’m asking honestly.”

Brick picked himself up, rolling his eyes, “Thank you for the vote of confidence. Care to explain why you just tossed me into the wall?”

**_“I instructed him to do so.”_** The TICC explained as Chip pulled an _‘Out of Order’_ sign from his jacket and placed it on the front of the bathroom door, ensuring that the two men wouldn’t be interrupted. Brick merely stared at the mirror in shock. As if sensing the oncoming question, the TICC continued. **_“I had to teach you a lesson, Brick.”_**

“What lesson was that? That Chip can lift a hundred-seventy-pound man like he’s a piece of bread?”

Chip gave him a patronizing look. “Really, one-hundred-seventy-pounds? You really wanna start that web of lies?”

“Besides, I have to get back to work. Savannah’s probably wondering where I am—”

**_“Savannah has left the mall, Brick.”_ **

Brick paused at that news. “She… she _left_?!”

**_“I told you accepting that offer was imperative.”_ **

“Wait, when did she leave? And more importantly, how do you know she left?”

“All TICC’s have the ability to sync with security cameras.” Chip explained. “Yours must have seen footage of your partner walking out on you. And frankly, I can’t blame her…”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

**_“Brick, take a look at yourself in the mirror.”_** Confused, Brick took a step closer towards the mirror, Chip hovering behind him, a bored look on his face. **_“Tell me what you see.”_**

Brick observed himself in the mirror, shrugging before giving a small smile. “I don’t know. I guess I see a strong, confident man willing to take his chances on—”

**_“Let me stop you right there. Not because I find this boring, which I do, but because you’re wrong.”_ **

“… W-what?”

**_“Brick: If you were strong, you wouldn’t need me. If you were confident, you wouldn’t need me. Brick… you’re a mess of a man. You’re narcissistic, you’re temperamental, you’re overconfident, you’re cocky, you’re unlikeable, and you lack the necessary social skills to form actual relationships with those around you.”_ **

“Not to mention you dress like some Sean Connery-wannabe all the time, you don’t seem to care about those around you, and, frankly, you’re kind of a kiss-ass.” Chip added.

Brick glanced at his own reflection, self-esteem sinking quicker than the Titanic. “That isn’t… You guys don’t know what you’re talking about.”

**_“Brick, I am quite literally inside your mind. Between the two of us, who has the better, how should I phrase this ‘Inside scoop’?”_ **

Brick shook his head, not wanting to believe his TICC, but Chip nodded his head and placed his hands on either side of Brick’s face, forcing the top-agent to stare at his own reflection which, for once, was something he didn’t want to do. “Brick, pal, let’s face facts. You got a TICC because you need some serious help in the self-improvement department.”

**_“And I am more than willing to help you with that Brick, but for this to work, you can’t just listen to me. You have to_ ** **obey _me.”_**

“Obey…?” Brick quietly mumbled.

**_“Yes. Now, repeat after me.”_** The TICC instructed. **_“~Woah, everything about you is so terrible~”_**

Brick hesitated before quietly repeating, “Everything about me is just… _terrible_.”

**_“Good.”_** Brick noticed Chip smirking at his reflection. **_“~Woah, everything about you makes me wanna die~”_**

“… Everything about me makes me want to die…” Brick mumbled slightly in defeat.

**_“Now you got it.”_** The TICC told him. Though he didn’t want to believe it, it was getting harder and harder to ignore. He was a screw-up, a failure. He was pathetic, miserable, and unworthy of anything. Hell, he couldn’t even talk to Vinnie Dakota without freezing up! What good was he anymore?

As if sensing his new companion’s self-doubt, stepped forward, hands clasped tightly onto Brick’s shoulders. _“~But, Brick, soon you'll see that if you listen to the TICC, listen to the TICC…~”_ Chip pressed his fingers against both of Brick’s temples and the top-agent felt a shock travel from there to the rest of his brain. Brick closed his eyes, fighting against tears of pain. He felt a sensation travel through his body and, blinking his eyes open, Brick found he was no longer in the bathroom. Instead, he was in the entrance foyer of B.O.T.T., surrounded by numerous agents. Some he recognized, some he didn’t. Yet they were all looking upon him adoringly.

**_“_ ** _~ **E** v **e** r **y** t **h** i **n** g **a** b **o** u **t** y **o** u **i** s **g** o **i** n **g** t **o** b **e** w **o** n **d** e **r** f **u** l **!** ~ **”**_

_“~We love everything about you!~”_ The crowd sang. Brick thought for the briefest of moments that this was real, but common sense told him it wasn’t. Brick even noticed that their was hazy field around the edge of his vision.

“~ ** _E_** _v **e** r **y** t **h** i **n** g **a** b **o** u **t** y **o** u **i** s **g** o **i** n **g** t **o** b **e** s **o** a **l** i **v** e **!** ~ **”**_

_“~We could never live without you!~”_

Brick knew the crowd wasn’t real, it was so obvious they weren’t it was almost laughable. Yet, just because they weren’t real now, didn’t mean they couldn’t be real in the future… right?

_“~You won't feel left out or unsure~”_ Chip assured Brick, draping an arm around the top-agents shoulder, revealing in the same fantasy Brick was.

**_“~You won't be ugly anymore~”_** The TICC assured, and Brick was inclined to believe it.

**_“_** _~ **B** e **c** a **u** s **e** , **e** v **e** r **y** t **h** i **n** g **a** b **o** u **t** y **o** u **i** s **g** o **i** n **g** t **o** b **e** c **o** o **l** ~ **”**_ Brick took a look at the scene his TICC had created for him. **_“~And powerful!~”_** Brick nodded, he liked the sound of that. **_“_** _~ **P** o **p** u **l** a **r**! **I** n **c** r **e** d **i** b **l** e **~** ”_ The top-agent was almost bursting to the brim with excitement. **_“_** _~ **Y** o **u** w **-i** -i **-l** -l **-l** ~ **”**_

_“~Be more chill~”_ Brick finished. Chip smirked, nodding along. _“~Be more chill…~”_

Slowly, hazy vision of the Bureau faded, along with the chorus of singing agents. Chip gestured for Brick to lead the way. With a newly found confidence in his new TICC, Brick left the bathroom, ready to do what ever he had to do to get back on top.

**_–Meanwhile, with Cavendish, Dakota, and Lotte–_ **

After helping the kids get there purchases onto a bus headed for the high school the time-traveling trio bid them a good day and decided to head to their time vehicle to go home. Of course, they hit a little snag when Lotte stepped outside, only to wince and quickly shuffle back into the mall.

Apparently, after a migraine, Lotte’s prescription sunglasses weren’t going to cut it. Dakota had hung onto the towel Milo gave her just for that reason. The tracksuit wearing man had draped it over his green-haired companion’s head and, after noticing it slip slightly, had removed his hat, and pulled it overtop Lotte’s head, effectively holding the towel in place.

While Lotte was impressed with Dakota’s ingenuity, Cavendish was torn between laughing and facepalming at how absurd Lotte looked. He settled for rolling his eyes and mumbling “Morons,” under his breath.

Of course, since Lotte’s new “outfit” prevented her from seeing, the two men had to guide her towards their beat-up lemon. Not that they minded, of course.

“Are we there yet?” Lotte asked. “It feels like we’ve been walking for hours.”

“We left the mall two minutes ago.” Dakota pointed out.

“Do you want Dakota and I to take you to your apartment when we get back?” Cavendish asked. “It might be easier for you that way.”

“No!” Lotte said quickly, causing Cavendish and Dakota to give her odd looks. As if sensing her companion’s looks, Lotte chuckled nervously. “I mean… _No!_ You don’t have to go out of your way just for me.”

Exchanging a quick look with Dakota, Cavendish continued, “It wouldn’t be out of our way at all.”

“Yeah, we just wanna make sure ya get home safe is all.” Dakota added.

“I dunno guys, my apartment is really… um…” Lotte trailed off, as if searching for the proper word.

“Messy?” Dakota offered.

“Yes! That’s it! It’s incredibly messy.”

“Ok… How about we drop you off at your front door?” Cavendish suggested.

“I don’t know why you guys are fussing over me. I can make it to my own home just fine.”

Cavendish and Dakota halted and raised their brow at Lotte. “You realize you’re wearing a towel over your head right now, right?”

“And we kinda have to guide you to our car?”

“Ok! Ok, you have a point.” Lotte gestured for the two men to continue on. Rolling their eyes, Cavendish, and Dakota each grabbed one of Lotte’s arms and led on. “How about you guys drop me off at the front door of my building? I can manage to get back to my apartment form there.” While the two men were reluctant to leave Lotte alone in her current condition, they both agreed to her compromise, seeing as how it was the best they were going to get.

As the three approached the parking lot, Dakota heard a familiar voice saying, “Pick up, you asshole,” over and over again. Turning, he was a bit surprised to find Savannah, looking incredibly pissed, by the time limo, phone pressed to her ear.

“Savannah?” Dakota called out. “What’re you doing?”

Savannah turned to the time-traveling trio, her eyes widened slightly before she raised a brow and gestured to Lotte. “What is that?”

“This is Lotte, she’s our temporary partner.” Cavendish explained as the trio approached the top-agent.

“Nice to meet you!” Lotte said, sticking her hand out to Savannah. However, since she couldn’t really see where Savannah was, she was off a few degrees. Dakota noticed this and nudged his companion’s arm until it was facing Savannah. “Thanks, buddy.”

“No problem.”

Savannah tentatively shook the proffered hand. “Ok, but what is she wearing and why?”

“A dark towel and my hat, it’s too block out the sunlight.” Dakota explained.

“I have bad migraines.” Lotte further elaborated with a chipper tone.

A bit disturbed by Cavendish and Dakota’s new partner, Savannah slowly nodded. “Riiight….”

As the top agent went back to checking her phone, Cavendish glanced at the limo. “It’s a bit chilly out, wouldn’t you rather do… whatever it is your doing inside?”

“It’s locked, and I don’t have the key.” Savannah explained

“Ok, so who has the key? Brick?”

“Yep.”

“So, where’s Brick?”

“Good fucking question.” Savannah rolled her eyes and, with an angry huff, leaned against the time limo. “We split up to cover more ground and when I tried to contact him, he wouldn’t pick up. Next thing I know, it’s two hours later and he utterly ditched me!” Cavendish and Dakota exchanged surprised glances. Sure, Brick could be a bit conceited from time to time, but he never seemed like the one to ditch his partner on a mission.

“We saw Brick an hour ago or so.” Lotte said. “Well, Dakota saw him.”

“Really?” Savannah raised an eye brow at the man in question. “What was he doing?”

“I think the best way to describe it would be a minor migraine... At least that’s what Brick said it was.” Dakota replied, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck.

“Huh?”

Dakota shrugged helplessly. “I dunno! He just started screaming and asking a lot of questions… It ended just as quickly as it started, and some guy came in and practically dragged him off.”

“What guy?”

“Um, Chip, I think?”

“Wait, did this Chip have curly hair?” Lotte asked.

“Yeah, why?”

“I think that might’ve been my ex-partner. The one I knocked out, I mean.”

“Wait, that was you?” Savannah asked. “Damn, that’s impressive.”

“Indeed, it was.” Cavendish nodded. “Dakota, didn’t you say this Chip-fellow and Brick were working a mission together?”

“Bullshit,” Savannah frowned.

“Well, according to Chip, they were working together.” Dakota frowned. “I guess he’s been doing other missions with this Chip guy for a while.”

Savannah’s frown deepened into a scowl as she roughly shoved her phone into her pocket. “When I find him, I’m going to kill him.”

Lotte giggled. “Want my help? I could break his nose, too, if you’d like?”

“I think you’ve had enough excitement for one day.” Cavendish stated dryly.

Dakota turned to Savannah, who leaned up against a now unusable time machine. “So… Do ya have any other way of gettin’ to 2176?”

Savannah sighed. “No, Dakota. I obviously don’t.”

Cavendish and Dakota exchanged glances. Nodding between Savannah and themselves a few times before sympathetic smiles found their ways onto their faces. “Do you… want to ride back with us?”

A bit surprised, the top-agent turned to the lower-level agents and asked “What?”

“Look, we know it’s not really as glamorous as ridin’ in a limo, but it’s better than being stuck here for longer than necessary, right?”

Noticing that Savanah still seemed uncertain, Cavendish added, “The sooner you get back to the future the sooner you can get revenge on Brick for ditching you.”

Savannah paused for a moment, and then sighed heavily before pulling herself up. “Ah, what the hell? What’ve I got to lose?”

“That’s the reluctant spirit!” Lotte cheered. “C’mon, our time vehicle is this way, I’m pretty sure.” As Lotte dragged Savannah away from the time-limo, Cavendish and Dakota hung back.

“Is it me, or does it seem that Brick ditchin’ Savannah seem weirdly outta character?”

“This whole day has been weird.” Cavendish deadpanned. “Should we try and talk Savannah out of homicide before we go back?”

Dakota shrugged. “I don’t think she’ll really do it… but it probably wouldn’t hurt.” The tracksuit wearing man paused for a moment before continuing. “I think she’s just feeling a little down that she got ditched; which is understandable!”

Cavendish nodded. “I guess some people don’t know what their partner is really like.”

“Well, in her defense, I don’t really know you either.” Noticing Cavendish’s slightly offended expression, Dakota elaborated. “I mean, yeah, I know you like old-timey music, your favorite color is green, and that you joined the Bureau to save the world and all, but that’s really about it.”

A muted _thump_ accompanied by Lotte’s pained cry of “Ow! My shins,” alerted Dakota to a pressing matter. “Oh right, Lotte can’t see where she’s goin’.” And the man rushed over to help his friend, leaving Cavendish alone to ponder his partners words.

The mustached man hummed thoughtfully. “Yes, I suppose we _don’t_ really know that much about each other…” Now that he thought about it, all Cavendish really knew about Dakota was that he liked to eat, he liked music from the 1960’s and 1970’s, and he joined up to prevent the Mississippi Purchase—whatever that was.

As an idea came to his head, Cavendish smiled slightly. _‘Just because we don’t know much about each other now, doesn’t mean we can’t still find out, right?’_ Already formulating a plan in his head, Cavendish rushed off to catch up to his companions.


	6. Not to Heinous Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sundays are usually a day of relaxtion and recooperation before the week begins anew... Yeah, not this Sunday. Shennanigans happen this Sunday... not that you'll mind.

**_–In the year 2176–_ **

_Bang! Bang-Bang! Bang!_

The loud banging on the door startled Brick awake. He glared at the direction of the sound before rolling over to try and go back to sleep.

_Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!_

**_“I would suggest opening the door, Brick.”_** His TICC told him dryly.

“I’m sorry, but what day is it?”

**_“Sunday.”_ **

“And what time is it?”

**_“Seven in the morning?”_ **

_Bang! Bang! Bang-Bang! Bang!_

“So, would it really be too much to ask to try and get some sleep on my day off?” Brick asked sardonically.

**_“Considering the rather_** **detailed _dream you had about Vinnie Dakota and how it kept you up last night, I would normally say yes.”_** The TICC told him. **_“However, we have a lot of work to do so—”_** A rather painful jolt of electricity traveling down Brick’s spine sent him flying out of his bed, yelping in pain as he landed on the floor with a sad _thud_.

_Bangbangbangbangbang!_

Grumbling to himself, Brick frowned. “I’m not getting anymore sleep today, am I?” Brick asked his TICC, ignoring the loud, banging noises on his front door.

**_“No, no you’re not.”_** The TICC told him. **_“Now go get the door, unless you want some more shock therapy?”_**

“Wish I had been told about _that_ particular feature…” Brick grumbled, stomping over to his front door. After unlocking it, he threw the door open to find Chip glancing tiredly at the door, a small box of donuts in hand.

“What took you so long?” He asked.

“What the hell are you doing here so early?” Brick asked. “And how soon can you leave?”

“Good morning to you, too, sleeping beauty.” Chip drawled, handing Brick the box, and letting himself in, much to Brick’s chagrin. The curly-haired man whistled in appreciation. “Swanky digs you got here, Brick. Definitely more spacious than mine.”

“What’d you got?”

“I got a micro-apartment near downtown. It’s not half bad and it definitely allows for some _creative movement_ when I have company.” Chip smirked.

Brick gave the man a look. “So, I’m assuming you have stock in the condom company?”

Chip glared slightly. “I could take the donuts back, y’know?”

“If it means you leave and I can go back to sleep, I’m all for it.”

“Ha-ha, very funny.” Chip rolled his eyes, propping his feet on Brick’s coffee table. “I’m sure by now you’ve heard that we have work to do?”

Finally accepting he wasn’t going to get back to bed anytime soon, Brick sat at the opposite end of the couch, picking a jelly donut out of the box before offering it back to Chip, who took out a plain chocolate. “Ok, I’ll bite, what work do we have to do?”

“Well, _you_ have a lot of work to do.” Chip smiled, taking a bite of his donut. “And we have to finish what we started yesterday.”

Swallowing a bit of his donut, Brick frowned. “What we started yesterday?”

**_“We still have a long way to go to make you more…_** **approachable _, Brick.”_** The TICC explained. **_“Your personality needs a major overall, your interest need a severe changing—”_**

“Plus, you still need a new look and we only bought you, like, one outfit…” Chip pointed out.

“Oh yeah, we were supposed to do that yesterday, weren’t we?”

**_“Well, in our defense, there were a few unexpected bumps in the road.”_ **

“Also, a musical number… for some reason.” Brick deadpanned. “Could we maybe avoid that today?”

“I don’t know, I liked the musical number.”

“If you start singing, I don’t care how many times my TICC shocks me for it, I’m tossing you out that window.” Brick warned Chip, pointing to the window in his kitchen, which had a lovely view of the city, from one-hundred-and-four stories above the street.

 “Yeesh, tough crowd…” Chip scowled slightly into his donut.

Brick ignored his companion’s attitude. “What exactly is the plan for today?”

**_“Well, after you finish eating and get ready for the day, I will direct you in various activities that will enhance your likability and approachableness by forty-seven percent.”_** The TICC explained.

“Just forty-seven percent?”

“To be fair, you’re at twenty percent approachableness and ten percent likability. So, really, forty-seven percent is a _huge_ improvement.”

“Oh, like you’re one to talk.” Brick mumbled.

**_“Actually, he is.”_** Surprised by this information, the top agent turned and raised a brow at Chip, who nodded sadly.

“I… I was nowhere near as bad as you were before I got my TICC. I was a clumsy, self-centered, insecure, egotistical jerk… Now look at me!” Chip gestured to himself, forcing a bright smile. “I’m a new and improved man! And I only regret getting a TICC slightly—” A sharp cry of pain was drawn from Chip as his body suddenly twitched violently, startling Brick. “I mean, I don’t regret it at all! Totally worth it… Totally!”

Before Brick could question anything, his TICC told him, **_“Just correcting some behavior. See Brick, you’re not the only one getting shocked around here.”_**

As Chip calmed down, Brick shook his head dumbly, a minute buzzing in his head telling him to choose his next words carefully. “So that’s what it looks like from the other side…”

The buzzing sensation stopped, and Brick let out a small sigh of relief as Chip rolled his eyes. “Very funny… We going out now or what?”

“Hey,” Brick sent the curly-haired man a look, “let a man eat his donut.”

**_–Meanwhile, with Dakota–_ **

Considering that Sundays were the one day of the week that most of the Bureau had off, many felt entitled to spend it the way they wanted too. An entitlement most of them earned.

Vinnie Dakota, he spent his Sundays wearing as little as possible and doing just as much. If he felt ambitious, he would put on some spare clothes and go down to the grocery store, but that was a rare event. Most of the time, he would sleep in until noon, eat an incredibly unhealthy breakfast, do laundry, watch some TV, and then go back to sleep.

It was his day off and he was going to spend it the way he wanted, and nothing was going to stop him from doing it.

_Knock-knock-knock._

Dakota blinked his eyes open, not sure if he was awake or just dreaming. He rolled over and glanced at his clock on the nightstand. _7:37 AM._

He was dreaming.

Dakota closed his eyes, prepared to drift back off to sleep, but then the tentative _knock-knock-knock_ ing gave him the wake-up call (pun intended) that he wasn’t dreaming and there was someone at the door.

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Dakota stumbled out of bed and over to his closet. More specifically, the floor before his closet, where all his clothes seemed to end up. He picked out a pair of, moderately, clean sweat pants and pulled them on before trudging over to the door.

Tactfully hiding his eyes behind his hand under the guise that he was still rubbing the sleep away from his eyes, Dakota opened the door after one final round of _knock-knock-knock_ ing. Cavendish huffed. “Well it took you long eno—” the rest of his sentence got stuck in his throat upon seeing Dakota’s lack of attire.

Despite not getting as much sleep as he’d usually like on a Sunday, Dakota was still able to crack a small, humored smile at the situation. “Good mornin’ to you, too, pal.” The younger man noticed the blush starting to spread on his partner’s face, but he assumed it was because of the cold.

After all, it was the end of January.

As Cavendish spluttered out an indignant response, Dakota stepped aside and gestured for the older man to enter, which he did, mumbling something like “It’s too cold to _not_ be wearing a shirt” but Dakota could’ve sworn he saw the older man’s eyes linger just a bit longer.

Eh, it was sort of hard to see when his eyes were still a little blurry from sleep.

“So, what brings you here, partner?” Dakota yawned.

If at all possible, Cavendish looked more flustered than he already was. Dakota was starting to wonder if he should count this as an achievement, as it usually took an entire conversation for him to do this normally, and yet today he barely spoke fifteen words to him.

“W-well, you see… I’ve been thinking about yesterday and—”

“Uh, hang-on. I mean, keep talkin’, I’m still listening and all, I just need my glasses.” Dakota explained, slowly retreating to his bedroom where he kept his sunglasses on the nightstand.

“Oh, I didn’t realize you had another pair of glasses.” Cavendish said.

“Nah, same ones I always wear.”

“So, their prescription?” Cavendish asked from the living room. Dakota’s apartment was quite small. Yet, it wasn’t small enough to be considered a micro-apartment. A modest living room consisting of an end table that held a console for Future-Siri and a small TV, a chair that served as his coat rack, and a dingy couch he found in a second-hand shop tucked against the counter that served as the divider between the living room and kitchen. A hallway kiddy-cornered to the front door led to the only bedroom (Dakota’s bedroom) and across from that was a bathroom with a small window near the roof.

“Kind of.” Dakota shrugged as he slipped the familiar and comforting pair of shades onto his face.

“Why not just wear regular glasses?”

“I… I can’t afford to get a new pair at the moment?” Dakota blurted out before he could stop himself. The man shook his head slightly. Technically, it wasn’t a lie. If this pair of glasses broke, he’d be up a tiny creek in terms of replacement. However, he was not going to be getting a regular pair of glasses anytime soon.

Sunglasses were tinted, and tinted glasses offered protection. Dakota would rather punch a rabid panther in the face with a meat-scented boxing glove than be without his own little “security blanket” at this point.

Luckily for him, Cavendish bought the excuse. “Understandable.”

As Dakota reentered the living room, he took the time to study Cavendish. Sensible, warm-looking, and slightly worn boots, peach colored pants, a moss green coat, and a dark gray papakha that has definitely seen better years.

In short, Cavendish looked _incredible_. He always did, yet Dakota was always caught off by it. He secretly hoped he would never stop being surprised. But, it was Cavendish. What was he gonna do?

Cavendish cleared his throat, a light dusting of pink across his cheeks, snapping Dakota out of his ogling and back to the current situation. “Right. So… what’s up?”

“Well, like I was saying, I was thinking about yesterday…”

“What about yesterday, specially? Cause a lot of stuff happened—”

“Remember how you said that we don’t know much about each other?”

“Um, yeah. Why?”

Cavendish turned a quite fetching shade of red as he stumbled over his next sentence. “W-well, the thing was I—I mean if you’re interested—we could perhaps, i-if you wanted…”

“If I wanted to what?” A small, strange feeling akin to hope started to blossom in Dakota’s stomach. But he wasn’t about to let himself jump to conclusions. There were a few hims on an island somewhere for that very reason.

The older man took a steadying breath before continuing. “Would you like to spend the day together? Just the two of us, I mean. We could get to know each other better…”

That small feeling had now blossomed to full blown joy and was now consuming his entire being. Despite the fact that Dakota wanted nothing more than to shout his jubilance from the rooftops, that tiny, annoying voice in his head told him to not get his hopes up.

Still, with his own cheeks reddening bashfully, Dakota let loose a small smile. “You… you really want to spend the day with me?”

“It’s not as if we haven’t done that before.” Cavendish pointed out defensively. It was true, being partners meant that they were obligated to spend a lot of time together, and there was the matter of the ditch-day they had a few months ago. Yet, even that was initiated by Dakota and was done in spite of work.

This was _Cavendish_ asking to spend alone time with _him_.

Dakota was over the moon yet was still able to play it cool. “I’d love too!” Cavendish looked pleasantly surprised, sending his partner a soft, hopeful smile. “Lemme just go put on some clothes and then we can get breakfast. Sound good?”

There was something lighter, happier in Cavendish as he nodded, smiling brightly. “Sounds wonderful.”

“Alright, just gimme a few minutes—”

“Take your time, we do have an entire day at our disposal, after all.”

“Guess you’re right.” Dakota giggled as he shut the door to his bedroom, for privacy. When he did, the younger man let out a dreamy sigh crossed with a panic exhale as it finally dawned on him that, _holy shit on a shingle_ , Cavendish just (basically) asked him out on a (technical) date!

With a bit more pep in his step than was expected on a Sunday, Dakota quickly dug through his laundry pile for something acceptable to wear.

**_–Meanwhile, at a grocery store–_ **

Savannah glanced at the label on the shelf, _“Buy one, get one free”_ on a can of mushrooms. She mulled it over, before giving a bored shrug and tossing two small cans of mushrooms into her shopping cart.

Sundays were spent as lazily as Savannah’s personal drive allowed. Mostly, she did small errands around her apartment. Laundry, dishes, and then go to the grocery store. Then she’d fix herself dinner, watch some TV, shower and then she’d be off to bed.

Considering her line of work, many would consider this type of routine rather dull. And that was the way Savannah liked it; a nice, quiet day to help recharge her batteries before a stressful week at work.

And with the hectic week she just had, Savannah felt more than entitled. Between Brick acting like more of a douchebag than usual, Block nitpicking every little thing she did, and everyone (once again) gossiping about her behind her back. Honestly, what were they, middle schoolers?

Savannah was more than capable of handling a few people gossiping about her behind her back, as it was just that, gossip. But, if she was being honest with herself, it was getting annoying. All the whispers behind her back, the unmentioned slanders, it was ridiculous!

As she was mulling, the top agent unconsciously made her way towards the produce section of the grocery store. Unintentionally bumping into a familiar girl with a shock of green hair.

“Oh, sorry I didn’t realize—oh, hey, you’re Savannah, right?” She asked.

Blinking in surprise at bumping into her here, Savannah nodded. “Uh yeah. And you’re… _Lotte_?”

Lotte chuckled, “That’s my name, don’t wear I out.”

Savannah gave a weak little chuckle. “So, you shop here to?”

“Sometimes. Other times I go to the one by Page Avenue. It all depends on what store has the better coupons for the week,” Lotte said, gesturing to a couple coupons in her hands, before giving Savannah a quick once over. “I’m glad to see your taking things well.”

“Oh, yeah!” Savannah’s lips formed a line. “Taking what well?”

Lotte raised a brow. “Um… you and Brick?”

“Me and Brick?”

“Yeah. You and Brick, I heard through the grapevine what happened.” Savannah thought it was a little strange for Lotte to be bringing this up now, seeing as how she was there when Cavendish and Dakota gave her a ride back to the future after Brick ditched her.

“I mean, yeah it was a dick-move on his part, but I guess if it was—”

“Yeah, I mean, I guess you have a point.” Lotte interrupted, shaking her head slightly. “Still, that breakup must’ve been hard.”

Savannah paused. “What breakup?”

Lotte gave her an odd look. “Didn’t Brick just break up with you recently?”

She wanted to scream. There was no other logical reaction that Savannah could think of other than screaming at this point. Just open her mouth and let the hot, boiling rage that was beginning to bubble up inside her take over. However, Savannah was a mature and rational woman. So instead, she closed her eyes and took a few deep, relaxing breaths.

Exhaling, Savannah curtly told Lotte, “Brick didn’t break up with me.”

“Oh, so you broke up with him?” Savannah took a few more stabilizing breaths.

“I didn’t break up with _him_. We were never dating _in the first place_.”

Lotte crossed her arms, pondering something for a moment. “Well, that just doesn’t make any logical sense. Brick and Chip have been telling everyone that he dumped you because, and I quote, ‘she’s a fan of rumpy-pumpy’ and I see no real logical reason behind any of this if not to increase their own personal—oh” Lotte glanced pitifully back at Savannah as the situation finally dawned on her.

Savannah, who had just found out it was _her_ _own partner_ who spread those rumors about her in some twisted way to achieve personal gain, looked rather close to exploding. Instead, she merely took ten deep breaths before turning back to Lotte. An overly sweet smile on her face.

“Please, tell me more of what _I’ve_ been doing lately…”

**_–Meanwhile, with Chip and Brick–_ **

They had gone back to the 21st century. After Chip’s TICC calculated that there was only 0.023% chance of anyone from B.O.T.T. showing up there within a generous timeframe. While Brick had been hesitant at first, a small pep talk from Chip and a quick zap to the spine from his TICC was enough to convince him to go along with it.

Besides, the outfit they picked out yesterday (and others like that the TICC insisted were important) were in this time period, so why not?

As Brick stepped out of the changing room, with an expression that read, “End me now”, Chip and his TICC analyzed him. Chip hummed thoughtfully. “How many more outfits do we need?”

**_“We have four possible combinations now, three more would suffice.”_** The TICC explained, much to Brick’s displeasure.

“We’ve been here for _three hours_! Could we at least get something to eat?” Brick pleaded.

A slight grumble from Chip’s stomach caused the TICC in his head to buzz slightly. **_“Sensors indicate your stamina is lower than recommended. Nourishment is required.”_** Chip resisted the urge to roll his eyes. The buzzing in his head grew louder and Chip’s TICC spoke. **_“There is a pretzel stand by a shoe store exactly 25.23 feet from your current location.”_**

Chip rose gracefully from his seat. “I’ll go grab us some pretzel’s.”

“What am I supposed to—ouch!” Brick yelped in pain before deadpanning. “Right, stupid question, I know. Just hurry back. I don’t know how much more of this hell I can suffer through alone…”

“You get used to it.” Chip remarked dryly before leaving Brick to his own devices.

As he walked towards the pretzel, Chip felt a strange tingling sensation behind his eyes. Before he could react, Chip’s legs suddenly turned in a perfect 90-degree angle and began walking towards the shoe store he took Brick to yesterday. Chip, while still unnerved by the whole ordeal, simply let his TICC lead him where it wanted him to go. He’d was used to it at this point.

Instead of walking into the store, like Chip thought it was having him do for some inane reason, it leads him to an exit just to the left of it. Shoving himself through the entrance as quickly as he humanly could, the TICC led him to a dumpster. As he crouched down behind it, he heard what sounded like shouting. Muffled, accented shouting. But shouting nonetheless.

“I keep telling you, I am selling them as fast as I can!” A pause “What I’m doing is a lot less legal than my previous profession—stop laughing! I am Professor—" An offended gasp and another pause “Well, what do you suggest I do then?!” Another pause. A long one, and from behind the dumpster, Chip notices a skinny many with a large, round, balding head angrily walking towards a beat up red hummer. With a frustrated groan, the man who Chip recognized as the TICC dealer shoved a large shoe box into the car. “I’ll see what I can do, ok!” The man angrily shoved the phone, mumbling something along the lines “Bitch” to himself before walking back into the shoe store.

**_“Break into the car.”_** His TICC told him.

Chip blinked a little bit in surprise. “So, we’re just skipping pleasantries this time around?”

A small shock in the back of his head caused him to wince. **_“Just break into the damn car.”_**

Of his own, thankfully, free will, Chip headed towards the car. Jiggling the handle confirmed that the dealer had locked it, but Chip merely rolled his eyes and yanked as hard as he could on the car door until it opened (his own inert strength combining nicely with the extra strength his TICC gave him). “Ok, now what?”

**_“That shoe box. Grab it.”_** After scanning the front seat of the car, Chip spotted the aforementioned shoe box and scooped it up in his arms before roughly slamming the car door shut.

“Dare I ask why I’m going through such trouble to get a measly pair of—oh, those are not shoes…” Inside the shoe box were more TICC pills than Chip had ever seen. Enough for a small army it seemed. “What am I doing exactly?”

**_“The exact details are not important right now. However, statistically speaking, it is imperative you take this box now.”_ **

A feeling akin to dread flickered momentarily in the pit of his stomach, one that Chip couldn’t ignore. “Look, lady, I don’t know why but this feels sort of like overkill—” A brief, yet crippling sensation of pain traveled up his spine. However, a prominent tingling in his legs indicated that Chip was no longer in control of his body.

**_“How many times must I go over this with you, Agent Wolowitz?”_** The TICC asked. **_“I don’t care how you_ think _or_ feel _about a current situation, you do as you are instructed. Are we clear?”_**

Chip swallowed, nervous at not being in control. “Crystal…”

**_“Excellent. Now, I will lead you to a safe place to stash it for the night, then we will proceed back to the Pretzel Stand. Does this sound reasonable?”_** Chip merely nodded, not trusting his own voice. Or was that just the TICC’s influence? It wouldn’t be the first time the TICC’s made him doubt himself…

As the TICC robotically maneuvered Chip’s leg towards the “safe place”, Chip got the sudden craving for a drink. A hard one.

**_–In the 21 st Century, at Play Rehearsal–_ **

Until the play ended, Sundays were spent in rehearsals. Not that Milo, Melissa, Zack, or anyone minded. It was actually a fun way to spend an otherwise dull, boring weekend day. The students would work on choreography, get the sets up, try and get costumes together, and they would run scenes with one another. However, after a Murphy’s Law incident involving a swarm of house flies, strawberry jam, and honey flavored cereal, the stage was put out of commission for the rest of the day. While the stage was being fumigated, Mr. Draco suggested that they should all head down to the music room to work on their songs. Seeing as how the only other options directly involved using the stage, no one objected.

_“~I have mad, gigantic feelings, red and frantic feelings about most everything. Like gun control, like spring... Like if I'm living up to all I'm meant to be. I also have a touch of ADD~”_ Amanda paused in her singing, looking up from her music book in faux contemplation. “Where was I? Oh, right!” This time, as Amanda sang, he tried her best not to look at her music book as Mr. Draco played the tune on the keyboard. _“~I love play rehearsal! Cause' you are equipped with direction and text~”_

Amanda had wanted to work on the entirety of her first solo, citing that she couldn’t quite figure out the melody for it. Mr. Draco happily obliged, even if he wasn’t as good on a piano as he was the organ from the 1700’s he had in his house.

_“~Life is easy in rehearsal, you follow a script, so you know what comes next~”_

Milo, Melissa, and Zack were sitting fairly close to Amanda, smiling encouragingly at their friend as she sang. However, Amanda kept sending them annoyed looks from the loud buzzing noise that was coming from their general direction, which confused them.

_“~Any who the point that I'm getting to is sometimes life can't work out in the way... It works out in the play. Like the only time I get to be the center of attention is when I'm Juliet or Blanche DuBois~”_

Before Amanda could continue, the nearby shelving unit fell on top of the rusty, old piano, crushing it. Thankfully, it completely missed Drako, who smiled, “Maybe the school can finally get that new piano we’ve been eyeing!”

“If you can find the money in the budget after the yacht repair prices…” Bradley drawled sarcastically.

“Fair point, Bradley. Fair point.” Mr. Drako carefully stood up, avoiding the rubble of the piano. “While I go search for another instrument to use, why don’t you children take a break? We’ll start again in fifteen minutes… Or whenever I make it back to the room.” The children agreed with this plan and began to stand up and stretch as Mr. Drako left.

Amanda turned and gave her three friends a harsh look. “That was really rude of you guys to leave your phones on while I was singing.”

Zack frowned. “But my phone’s off, see!” Zack held up his V-Phone, proving that it was, indeed, off.

Milo shrugged. “I forgot my phone at home today, so it couldn’t have been me.”

“Well, I’m sure it wasn’t… Huh, I guess my phone turned on in my pocket again. Sorry, Amanda.” Melissa smiled apologetically.

The magenta-clad girl rolled her eyes fondly. “It’s fine, Melissa. Maybe you should invest in a new phone, considering the trouble it’s been giving you lately.”

Zack and Milo chuckled, remembering the trouble Melisa had gone through to get all her friends to delete the video she took of Brick’s freak-out. In trying to do so, she had to explain what had happened, leading to a healthy amount of embarrassment when she explained how the video was uploaded in the first place.

Everyone had agreed to delete their shared video, but the damage was done.

“Hmm, I got a text.” Melissa stated, unlocking her phone.

“Who’s it from?” Zack asked, shuffling closer to look at her phone.

“Someone named… _Monty M.G.…_ ”  Melissa raised a brow in confusion.

“Who’s Monty M.G.?” Amanda asked.

“I have no idea.”

“Wait, so how did he get your number?” Zack wondered aloud.

“I don’t know, but it’s kind of weird…”

“What did he say?” Milo asked, prompting Melissa to open up the text messages, despite Amanda and Zack’s warnings that it could be some type of hacker-attack.

The redhead’s eyes widened in surprise. “Apparently, this Monty guys saw my video and thought that guy’s reaction is similar to something he’s investigating. He also asked if I know anything about a guy named _Aloyse Everheart Elizabeth Otto Wolfgang Hypatia Günther Galen Gary Cooper von Roddenstein_.” Amanda, Milo, and Zack merely starred at the girl in mild surprise. “I don’t even think _I_ could remember that name…” Amanda muttered.

Melissa’s phone buzzed again, indicating she got a new message from Monty M.G. Glancing over it quickly, Melissa read the text aloud to her friends, “‘ _If it helps, a lot of people call him Rodney. He’s the one who tried to concur the world last summer by moving Earth out of its original orbit.’_ ”

“Wait, what?!” Zack asked

“Oh yeah, I think I remember that guy. Wasn’t he arrested?” Amanda asked Milo for clarification.

“The only thing I remember was his accent and how his forehead kind of resembled an egg.” Milo said.

“I’m sorry, are we not going to acknowledge that this guy tried to _get rid of summer_ in hopes of taking over the world?!”

As Melissa typed out a reply, Amanda and Milo shrugged. “Yeah, he did to that. But it’s nothing Danville isn’t used to at this point.”

“ _What_?”

“Oh yeah. Between Murphy’s Law incidents and random rays from the sky zapping people, evil scientists trying to take over the world isn’t that big of a deal in Danville.” Milo explained

As Zack continued his tirade of how scientists (of any moral alignment) trying to take over the world in any city is bad, Melissa sent her reply. _‘I vaguely remember that. Why do you ask?’_

Within minutes, Monty M.G. responded, _‘I can’t go over details, but Rodney was recently bailed out of jail by an unknown party. My sources found him working at a nearby shoe store in disguise…’_

Ignoring her friend’s mini-argument, Melissa continued texting. _‘I’m not sure I understand what you’re talking about’_

_‘Rodney was caught on camera acting suspicious around the man you recorded in the video.’_ Before Melissa could process this startling revelation, another message from Monty M.G. arrived. _‘His bail was paid by a private party, and while my sources can’t confirm anything, it’s seems the money can be traced back to a higher-up in the Gush Co. business.”_

_‘You’re kidding, right?’_

_‘I wish I was.’_

_‘Ok, so maybe Valentine Verliezer bailed out a guy who tried to take over the world and got him a job at a shoe store, I still don’t get what this has to do with the video I took…’_

_‘I understand you and your friends have been in contact with Valentine’s brother, Victor. Is that right?’_

_“Um, yeah. What’s that have to do with anything?’_

_‘And we both know that he’s a terrible scientist and inventor…’_

_‘Oh, the worst.’_

_‘Well Rodney, though evil, was a pretty good scientist. It seems like, apart from his new-found job as a shoe salesman, he’s been consulting Verliezer and his brother on a secret project.’_

_‘Ok…?’_

_‘I haven’t been able to get much information, but I can say that a few of the test subjects on this “project” have been showing symptoms that are very similar to the one the man in your video is exhibiting.’_

Melissa froze. Similar symptoms? Test subjects? It was all a bit too much for her to take in. As if on auto-pilot, she typed out the simple response of, _‘How do I know I can trust you?’_

It took one minute and twenty-seven seconds (she counted) for Monty M.G. to respond. Not with any words of promise or oaths of sincerity, but with a link. The practical side of her told her to tell the guy off for texting her and delete the conversation. The curious and reckless side of her, however, kept chanting “Click it! Click it! Click it!” so she did.

Instead of taking her too a video or website, like she originally thought, it only brought her up to a tab in her browser with a single image on the page. It was hard to make out at first, as the picture was a grainy, black-and-white photo, but when Melissa squinted her eyes, she made out the distinct silhouette of the Verliezer brothers and a man with a large bald head standing over a woman with long, dark hair who seemed to be writhing in pain, not unlike Brick had done yesterday.

More than freaked out at this point, Melissa interrupted her friends talk about ethics and Danville’s odd, non-Murphy’s Law occurrences and showed them the conversation. Amanda handled the phone while Zack and Milo read over her shoulders. When they reached the end of the conversation, Milo and Zack could only stare at her in shock while Amanda stared dumbly at the photo, not entirely sure what to make of all of this.

“So, wait, why are the Verliezer brothers working with some crazy former scientist?” Zack asked, almost afraid of the answer. Melissa’s phone dinger and Amanda glanced over it.

“If you want to know more, I suggest not deleting this conversation. I’ll keep you updated on anything I can find…” Amanda glanced at her friend with a worried expression. “Are you in trouble or something?”

As Milo gently grabbed Melissa’s phone, the redhead face contorted in an unsure frown. “I… I have no idea. Things have been weird, lately.”

“And not the just regular Milo-kind of-weird…” Zack added.

Milo narrowed his eyes at Melissa’s phone critically. “Hey, Melisa, Zack, does that girl in the picture look kind of familiar to you?”

He turned the phone, so his two friends could see the screen, which showed that Milo had zoomed in on said girl in question as much as he could. Amanda raised a brow, “All I can see are gray, blurry blobs.”

“I know, but I just… I don’t know, something about her looks familiar.” Milo added the last part sheepishly.

Now that he mentioned it, Melissa and Zack did notice a few things about this girl that they didn’t before. Namely, her oval shaped head behind her long, dark hair. Her clothing looked familiar, too. A dark jacket, that looked a lot like a leather jacket, and dark boots.

“Now that I look at her, she kind of looks like—”

_Oompah! Oompah! OOMPAH!_

Startled by the sudden noise, Milo dropped Melissa’s phone as he and his friends jumped. While Melissa picked her phone off the floor to inspect the damage while Milo attempted to apologize, Amanda and Zack sent a slightly annoyed glare towards Mr. Draco, who had walked in playing a dusty looking tuba.

With one last _OOMPAH_ , Mr. Draco smiled. “I found a tuba, children!” Not seeing his students faces perk up the slightest, Mr. Draco continued. “I say we try and make this work.”

Amanda was the first to turn back to Melissa to see her reassembling her phone, whose only damage was the case popping off and slightly cracked phone. “What were you saying earlier? Something about the woman in the picture looking familiar?”

Ignoring Mr. Draco, who was currently tuning the tuba, Melissa frowned. “Eh, it’s not important right now.”

**_–In the year 2176, with Cavendish and Dakota–_ **

When Cavendish had come to Dakota’s door that morning, he had been expecting a blunt refusal at best and outright mockery at worst. However, he was beyond pleasantly surprised when Dakota not only agreed to spend a day outside of work with him but seemed very enthusiastic about it as well.

Cavendish refused to read to much into the situation, but he felt positively giddy nonetheless.

The two men had started out with a simple walk, conversation flowing stiffly yet easily between them until Dakota, the loveably doltish-snack hound that he was, spotted a café. After ordering some warm beverages, the two men decided to play an impromptu game of twenty questions in hopes of getting to know the other better.

The questions had started out simple enough. What’s your favorite movie? Where did you grow up? Any siblings? Did you have any pets growing up? However, the past hour and a half had been more personal questions. Have you ever lost someone close to you? What are you most thankful for? What parent were you closest too growing up?

Cavendish was loving every second of it. It meant more time spent with the man he loved, and more fun little details learned as well.

Dakota took a tentative sip of his hot chocolate and winced slightly when it burned his tongue. _Still to hot,_ he thought. “Ok, my turn. What is the best advice you’ve ever gotten?”

Cavendish pondered, holding his cup of tea in his hands. “Follow you heart but take your brain with you.”

“Wow, that’s deep. Where’d ya get that?”

Cavendish shrugged. “Some poster in a school hallway when I was a boy. I liked that one the best, though.”

“Huh. The only posters in my school were the ones with the cats on them that said, ‘Hang on to learnin’’ or somethin’ like that.”

Cavendish chuckled a bit. “What about you?”

“My cousin Jim once told me, ‘When life gives you lemons, take them because free shit is cool.”

The older man gave Dakota an odd look. “Is that why you stuffed your pockets with lemons when we went back to 1992?”

“More or less.” The two men shared a laugh at the fond memory. After taking another sip of his tea, Cavendish turned to Dakota. “Alright, my turn. Hmm… what is your most embarrassing injury story.”

When the younger man snorted, already smiling at the memory, Cavendish knew he was in for a good story. “Ok, ok, hear me out.” Dakota told him. “When I was eight, I needed to have lazy eye surgery. The doctors told my folks and myself I wouldn’t be able to see for a couple o’ days while I let my eyes recover. So, I was left with one parent a day while I was recoverin’.”

“Uh-huh…”

“Well, a couple days after my surgery, and my dad was watchin’ me. I told him I needed to go to the bathroom—something I could do on my own, by the by. He led me down the hall and told me, ‘Ok, next door on the right is when you turn’. My brain interrupted this as: ‘Turn right, now’. So, I did and…” Dakota paused as another round of laughter overtook him. “And I rammed my eyes into a doorknob!”

Cavendish surprised himself when he also started to laugh. He reasoned that since Dakota was also laughing at the memory, it was ok. Still, around his laughter, Cavendish was able to ask, “How does that even happen?”

“I was at perfect eye level of the door, and I’m not exaggertain’ either!” The two men laughed again. “My dad just sorta stood there, kinda in shock at what his child just did… I don’t blame him. That’s how I feel sometimes…”

After calming down, Cavendish turned to Dakota and asked, “Were you alright, afterwards?”

The younger man made a so-so gesture with his hands. “Nothin’ terrible or anythin’. But I did end up breaking a stitch in my eyes. I was out of school two weeks longer than I should’ve been, What about you? Most embarrassing injury ever?”

Cavendish had to ponder this before glancing down at the ground, a slightly bashful smile on his lips. “About a month before I was set to start high school, a few of my friends and I had been riding our bikes up and down my grandmother’s dirt driveway. My friend Hildegard had found one of my younger cousin’s bike and she thought it would be a grand idea to try and do tricks on it.”

“Why did she think that would be a good idea?” Dakota asked, trying to picture a teenaged Cavendish doing tricks on a young child’s bike.

“I don’t know, she was always a bit of a risk taker.” Cavendish chuckled at the memory. “Anyway, we had all taken terms riding up and down the driveway and doing tricks. Hildegard managed to flick some pinecones and large rocks away with the wheel, her brother Albert managed to pull off a Superman. I, for whatever reason, decided to try and pop a wheelie.” Dakota shook his head, already smiling at the mental image of Cavendish trying to pop a wheelie.

“How’d that go over?”

“Well… I had succeeded in doing a front-wheelie for all of thirty seconds before my wheel got caught in a rock and I was sent flying over the handle to the ground.” Dakota winced as Cavendish continued. “Not only did I break both of the bones in my forearm, but I had a rather large gash on the underside of my chin.”

Dakota raised a brow. “Really?” Cavendish nodded before tilting his head up and pointing to the faint line just under his chin. Dakota chuckled, taking a sip of his hot chocolate, “Yeah that’s pretty bad. Did you need stitches or anythin’?”

“Three.” Cavendish laughed slightly. “It’s funny, I knew after I picked myself up that my arm was broken, but I didn’t even think the gash was that bad.”

“Really?”

“Yes. It took Albert shoving some paper towels under my chin and Hildegard all but shoving me into the back of the car for me to realize how bad it really was.”

Dakota laughed a bit, draining his cup of the now lukewarm chocolate. “Ok… What’s something I would never guess about you?”

Cavendish pondered for a moment, an answer popped into his head almost immediately, and on instinct he pushed it aside. Out of the corner of his eyes, he studied Dakota’s face. The younger man was patiently waiting for an answer, a small smile on his face. Cavendish mentally berated himself for not being able to give an honest answer… until he questioned _why couldn’t I give an honest answer? I wanted this, I asked Dakota for this, I want to get to know him better so… shouldn’t I extend the same curtesy to him?_

Swallowing his nerves, Cavendish turned to Dakota. “I’m autistic.”

Dakota blinked in surprise. “Really?”

The older man nodded. “Asperger’s Syndrome, to be precise. I tend to focus on certain projects to the point of exhaustion… It’s led to some complications.”

The younger man nodded. “That actually explains a lot.” He raised a brow at him “Is this why you don’t like me eating chips next to you on the couch? Because it’s not a good noise for you to hear?”

“That’s half of it. It’s also because you make a big mess whenever you eat chips on the couch.”

Ignoring his joke, Dakota offered a shy smile to Cavendish and—cautiously, as if he was testing the waters—placed a hand over his. “Thank you for telling me.”

Cheeks tinted pink at the sudden contact, Cavendish nodded, staring at Dakota’s hand over his own. “What about you?” He asked quietly, shyly. Not trusting his voice to remain even with the newfound contact.

Dakota’s eyes widened, and he looked out towards the road near the café they were at to think of an answer. A sudden rush of learned fear and self-preservation kicked in before the younger man forced himself to think about the situation logically. _Cavendish really opened up to me… And I haven’t even told him that I… C’mon Vinnie, you can do this._ Taking a breath to steal himself, Dakota glanced down at the ground. “I have heterochromia.”

Cavendish blinked. “Huh?”

“I… I have heterochromia. One eye is brown, the other is blue.”

“Really?” Cavendish asked. He tried to think back to all the times he saw Dakota without his glasses and was more than surprised to find he couldn’t remember a time where Dakota had been without his trusty sunglasses for more than two minutes if he could. “Is this why you wear sunglasses all the time.

The younger man nodded. “I guess I didn’t get enough melatonin or somethin’ when I was in the womb, and that’s why they’re different colors.” He shuffled his feet awkwardly, and Cavendish frowned slightly. “I got picked on a lot growin’ up. ‘Two-eyes’, ‘Freak’, and for some reason ‘Changeling’ were pretty common. When I started wearing sunglasses, it helped a lot. So, I just sorta _wear them_ as a security blanket. Weird, right?”

Instead of answering, Cavendish shifted his hand so that he was holding Dakota’s. The man abruptly turned to look at his partner in surprise. The earnest, almost loving, loo Cavendish was giving him made his face heat up. “Could I see?” Cavendish asked quietly, as if he was afraid to startle Dakota in this moment.

Dakota stared at Cavendish for a moment longer before he slowly, shyly, removed his sunglasses. He made sure to avoid looking directly at Cavendish, though. He had been teased for so long, without his sunglasses on, he felt naked. And if Cavendish said something against him… well he wouldn’t know what to do.

Cavendish was silent for a long time, and Dakota almost made a joke to break the tension in the air. However, Cavendish merely lifted his free hand to Dakota’s face, making Dakota lock eyes with him. Dakota’s mouth dried in an instant, and he felt his face warming up. After another long moment of silence, the older man smiled.

“One is like chocolate cake, and the other is like the summer sky. They’re beautiful,” he paused before continuing, “you’re beautiful.”

Dakota’s heart skipped a beat. He brought his own free hand up to hold Cavendish’s in place, as silent please, _don’t move. This is wonderful_. Cavendish’s hand didn’t move, and the two men smiled at each other, soaking in each other company.

Those who walked by and saw them gave a small smile, thinking to themselves, _now those are two men who really do love each other_. And they weren’t wrong at all…

**_–Meanwhile, with Savannah and Lotte–_ **

Lotte took another generous bite of her donut as she watched Savannah silently fume from her seat in the grocery store cafeteria. Lotte had been more than reluctant to explain to Savannah what Brick had been telling everyone at the Bureau. The woman looked dangerously close to murder and Lotte had a high sense of self-preservation.

However, Savannah had bribed her with a donut and Lotte had given in. Spilling all the details about the rumor Brick had spread about her. About how they had secretly had a fling for the past year, how Brick had caught her cheating on him, and how in his heartbroken state had cut his ties with her.

Lotte had to give him credit where credit was due; it was a convincing lie. The two were pretty close (though, not as close as Cavendish and Dakota) and his recent mission of avoiding her like the plague was easily explained by this rumor. However, he made one tactical error, he forgot about Savannah’s own ability to express her outrage. Which Lotte was more than willing to help her express… if only it was from a safe viewing distance.

“Why would he even say that shit about us?!” Savannah asked through tightly clenched teeth.

Swallowing the last of her donut, Lotte eyed Savannah’s untouched one. “You going to finish that?” The first-class agent gave her an odd look but shoved the donut her way regardless.

“It makes no sense!” Savannah nearly shouted, crossing her arms, and slouching into her seat.

Lotte shrugged. “Maybe he felt he needed to move onto improved things and you were slowing him down?”

Savannah glared at the green-haired girl. “Then why spread those rumors about me and not just talk to me?”

“Did he have the option?”

“Of course, he did!”

“Let me rephrase that: did he _know_ he had the option?” Savannah furrowed her brow and said nothing. But, she did admit to herself that Lotte had a point. Brick and she were never close. They spoke at work parties, socialized in the same groups, and were a pretty good team. Yet, outside of the missions… Savannah realized she hardly knew a thing about Brick. They never talked, they never communicated what exactly was annoying about the other, they never worked to resolve their issues.

Suddenly, Savannah felt small and rather petty.

As if sensing her internal struggle, Lotte spoke up. “I know what you’re going through.”

“You do?” Savannah asked, dryly.

“Before I punched Chip that day, he would always act strange. It’s like he just… forgot I existed. He ignored me, and when I tried to confront him he would berate me, call me paranoid.” Lotte glanced away sadly. “I don’t know when it started, but it’s just like overnight be became a different person. The day I punched him… I just snapped! I couldn’t take it anymore.”

Savannah frowned in sympathy but could not think of anything to say. Lotte shook her head, “I remember going through his messages, trying to find some clue as to what the fuck was going on, and all I found was some message with an unknown contact about something called a Tiny Intel Core Computer. But, that was it. I can’t prove it, but I feel like that god damn computer was behind it all…”

“You don’t really think that, do you?” Savannah asked

“I know it’s farfetched, but it’s the only answer I have! Nothing else could explain why he just started ignoring me unexpectedly, or his sudden alteration in personality.” Lotte took one last pitiful bite out of her donut before she smiled at Savannah. “But, hey, this Brick we’re talking about. It’s not like he would become so desperate to achieve some unperceived goal as to partake in a questionable science experiment that makes him ignore his closest companions and alter his personality. Right?”

Lotte felt a flicker of sympathy as doubt quickly spread across Savannah’s face. But an acute, yet painful, shock of pain at the base of her neck chased it away as she smiled a somewhat comforting smile at the first-class agent, who numbly nodded in agreement before mumbling, “Yeah… right.”

**_–Later that day, with Brick–_ **

Brick once again examined the clothes in his closet. After nearly five hours of shopping, he had an entirely new wardrobe. Gone were his tuxedos and custom shoes, instead he was replaced with comfortable, retro clothes that gave him a sort of “Classy-All-Around-American-Man” kind of look. It was a stark contrast to his former look. It was so casual, so different.

It was approachable.

The top-agent couldn’t help but smile. Maybe this would actually work. Maybe with his new look, and his TICC helping him, he could finally talk to Vinnie Dakota. Maybe he would get to do more than talk. Maybe they could hang out, get to know each other better, or even—

**_“Brick, if you would like to get a restful night’s sleep, I suggest preparing for sleep at once. We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow after all…”_ **

His TICC explained to him the plan for wooing Dakota tomorrow, and Brick could barley contain his excitement. Tomorrow, it would all be worth it after tomorrow.

“Right, I’ll get on that.” Brick said as he made his way towards the drawer where he kept his pajamas. “Promise me there won’t be any _early interruptions_ like this morning?”

**_“Done and done, Brick.”_ **

“Great!” Brick smiled. Looking back, despite his protests while at the mall, he realized he hadn’t had a too heinous of a day. And he was greatly looking forward to talking to Vinnie Dakota tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: *has two essays, a quiz, a final test, and a children’s book of her own creation to finish for finals week within the next week*  
> Also me: Hey I should finish that one chapter, it’s not like I have anything else going on.  
> Can you tell I am great at prioritizing? Next chapter is the end of “Act 1” and yes, there will be a musical number. See you guys then! And wish me luck on my finals, I think I’ll need it.


	7. Upgrade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brick has to make a decision regarding his TICC...

**_–In the 21 st Century–_ **

February arrived with the usual splendor. Cold mornings, half-melted snow, giant half-melted ice sculptures catapulted into your math class, and dreary gray skies. However, for Jefferson County Middle School students and staff, there was one thing to look forward to: the school play! And with little less than two weeks until the opening day, everyone was starting to get equal parts nervous and excited with all the tasks still at hand.

The set was more than half complete, with some students staying after school to help with set building, costumes were being designed and assembled, and some of the teachers were working around the clock to replace some of the Murphy’s Law damaged equipment.

It seemed everyone was in a good mood lately, despite the usual February dreariness.

Milo, Melissa, and Zack were hardly paying attention to the general uplift in atmosphere at the school, they were more focused on their phones and texting. More specifically, Melissa’s phone and a very certain set of text messages.

“Has Monty M.G. messaged you again?” Milo asked as he stuffed his math book into his locker, pulling out his history textbook in its place.

The redhead shook her head, anxiously refreshing her messaging tab in hopes that M.G. would respond again. “I sent him a couple of messages this morning on the bus, but that was _four hours ago_! Do you think I’m coming across as nervous and needy and that’s why they haven’t responded?”

“That depends,” Zack said, “what did you send him?” Melissa handed her friend her phone. Zack raised a brow as he read, “ _‘Hey, M.G., any new findings to report on?’_ and _‘Uh, M.G., you there buddy?’_ ”

Milo shrugged. “Compared to some of your other texts, this one seems pretty chill.”

Zack scrolled up through Melissa’s messages with Monty M.G. And apart from the initial contact a week-and-a-half ago, the conversation had been purely one-sided, with the many—and, notably, increasingly anxious—texts from Melissa’s side filling u most of the tab. Apart from the lone _‘Nothing yet’_ from M.G. five days ago, there was not much to talk about concerning this conversation. “I’m sure they have a reasonable explanation for not contacting you.” Zack told his friend placatingly.

“Like what?” Melissa took her phone back from Zack, sighing in frustration. “He’s busy with work?”

“Maybe he’s busy collecting _intel_!” Milo suggested cheerfully. “Like a super-spy…”

“And what makes you think he’s a super-spy?” Zack asked skeptically.

“The nickname, the shady text, the information on said text…” Milo listed off.

Melissa smirked. “Our boys’ got a point.”

Milo paused thoughtfully before turning back to Melissa. “Hey, Melissa, can you pull up that picture M.G. sent you?”

Ignoring the bell that signaled they should be heading to class, to Zack’s chagrin, Melissa quickly scrolled up and opened the tab. Instead of handing it to him, for fear of repeating the Smelly Blanket incident, the redhead merely flipped the screen over to show him the picture.

The young boy squinted at the picture before looking at Melissa. “Mind zooming in on the girl again?”

“Guys, shouldn’t we be heading to class?” Zack’s question fell on deaf ears as Melissa quickly zoomed in on the girl in the picture and flipped it back to Milo, who once again squinted his eyes in thought.

“Is it me, or does that girl kind of remind you of Lotte?” Zack and Melissa’s eyes widened at Milo’s. Melissa flipped the phone over and her and Zack stared at the blurry image of a girl screaming in agony. The two each raised a brow in skepticism. Now that Milo mentioned it, the clothes, the shape of the head, and the general posture (or at least, what they could make out) did remind them of Lotte. Except for the long dark hair; it was hard for Melissa or Zack to picture Lotte without her trademark short, neon green hair.

Just then, the two-minute warning bell sounded off. As Zack double checked to make sure he had the right textbook, Melissa shut her phone off and pocketed it. “I guess she does kind of look like Lotte…”

“But why would Lotte be in that picture? And why would she be in such pain?” Zack asked.

Milo stuffed his history book into his backpack and shrugged. “We’ll probably have to wait for Monty M.G. to text Melissa back.” Milo went to shut his locker, only for the door to fall off its hinges when he grabbed it. “You guys might want to tell Mr. Draco I’m going to be late.”

The final warning bell sounded off. “We will.” Zack assured his friend as he and Melissa started to dash down the hall towards Mr. Draco’s classroom as Milo pulled out a welding mask and torch from his backpack.

Luckily, the duo arrived just in time to not be marked tardy, Mr. Draco looked up from his lesson plan to greet them. “Cutting it a bit close, aren’t we children?”

Melissa smiled sheepishly. “Won’t happen again, Mr. Draco.”

The maybe-vampire smiled good-naturedly. “See that it doesn’t, Miss Chase. Hey, where’s Milo?”

“His locker broke and he told us to continue our journey without him!” Zack stated, striking a dramatic pose.

Mr. Draco laughed at instructed the two to take their seats. Once they were seated and attendance was taken, the teacher stood up. “Now, children, today we will be continuing our lesson about the Roaring Twenti—” The maybe-vampire dissolved into a coughing fit, placing a hand to his throat, he winced slightly towards his students. “Darn allergies. Excuse me, I need to get a drink.” The teacher returned to his desk, opened one of the drawers and pulled out a partially opened bottle of Green Gush.

Lydia, form her spot near the window, wrinkled her nose in disgust. “Yech! Mr. Draco, you _like_ Green Gush?”

After taking a long sip, Mr. Draco turned to his student. “Yes, don’t you?” Most of his students shook their heads and vocalized their dislike of the drink. The maybe-vampire chuckled, “It’s funny, I didn’t used to like it. But now I can’t get enough of it! It’s like the flavor’s been upgraded. I can’t seem to stop drinking it…” After taking another long sip, Mr. Draco placed the cap tightly on the bottle and placed it in his drawer.

As their teacher began a lecture on the wonderful year that was 1922, Melissa and Zack exchanged odd glances. Perplexed at how someone who actually found Green Gush appealing, and their outright praise of it.

Especially someone like Mr. Draco who—as far as the children were concerned—never liked Green Gush before, and probably only drank blood or the color red.

**_–In the year 2176–_ **

Chip approached Mr. Block’s office; the epitome of calm, cool, and collected. The manila folder in his hands contained some of the most vital details to the plan yet. Any normal person, no matter how experienced, would be shivering in their boots at the pressure of the mission.

However, thanks to Chip’s TICC, he wasn’t even concerned.

Before he opened the door, Chip paused and glanced down at the folder in hand. “And you’re sure it’s convincing?”

**_“Positive.”_** His TICC assured him. **_“The PDF was taken from the Bureau’s own information center and the signature is 99.9% accurate. The only way Blockbrain will know it’s a fake is if he checks, is if he has the time. And according to my sensors,_ he doesn’t _.”_**

Chip smiled confidently, knocked on the door to Mr. Block’s office and (after waiting a few minutes for the barking order to enter) strode confidently into the office. Mr. Block, who held up a finger to motion for one extra moment while he was on the phone, looked beyond exhausted. After another five minutes of Block assuring and screaming at whoever was on the other line that “I’m looking into it, just give me more time, dammit!” slammed the phone down and glanced up at Chip wearily.

“Make it snappy, I have at least fifteen more calls to make before 2 PM.”

Chip handed Mr. Block the folder. “I just figured I’d drop this off to you while Brick’s on lunch.”

Mr. Block raised a curious brow at the folder but did not open it. He nodded once and waved his hand dismissively. “Alright, carry on.”

“Of course, sir. Won’t trouble you any longer,” Chip smiled, turned on his heel and left. After he left, Block immediately dialed the next number on his list. It took another forty-five minutes—and three more phone calls—before Block was able to rest for a moment. After doing so, he narrowed his eyes at the manila folder Chip handed to him.

Curiosity getting the better of him, Block reached over and opened the folder and was mildly surprised to see a form entitled _‘Partner Change Agreement’_ with Agents Chip Wolowitz and Brick Dalton’s signatures on the bottom.

**_–Meanwhile, in the year 2176 with Brick–_ **

Brick smiled warmly at the agents passing him in the hall, greeting them with a chipper “How’re you doing?” They seemed surprise by his actions but responded warmly anyway. It felt weird. Doing all of this… this social interaction. Normally Brick wouldn’t even acknowledge anyone below a First-Class Agent Rank (with a few notable exceptions), but his TICC was instructing him to greet everyone warmly, so that is what he would do.

He didn’t want to get another shock treatment after all.

“Hey, Brick!” The top-agent turned to see Aiden quickly jogging up to join him. The pink-haired man smiled brightly up at him, “Fancy seeing you here…”

**_“Repeat after me,”_** The TICC told him, **_“Well, we do work here, silly.”_**

“Well, we do work here, silly.” Brick smiled charmingly, causing Aiden to giggle.

“I guess we do.” The pink-haired man glanced away shyly, a blush dusting his cheeks. “I like your outfit by the way. Gaston le Mode is so retro!”

Brick shrugged nonchalantly. “I figured I’d try a new look. You can only wear so many suits, right?”

**_“You’re doing wonderful, Brick. Now, casually remark that it’s your lunch and say you’ll see him around. Aiden and Jonah have a mission they need to attend to.”_** The TICC instructed.

Brick paused at the entrance way to the breakroom. “Well, I’m on my lunch break. I’ll see you around ok?”

Aiden smiled brightly, still blushing. “O-oh yeah! Totally! I’ll see you around…” With a bit more pep in his step, the second-class agent left to go find his partner. Brick paused as he watched the man leave, a thought occurring to him. “Hey, TICC, you know I’m interested in Dakota, right?”

**_“Yes, Brick. You’ve made this clear on multiple occasions…”_ **

“So why does it seem like you’re making me flirt with Aiden?”

**_“You’re just going to have to trust me Brick. My quantum processor has seen many favorable futures if you form a closer relationship with Aiden. Although I would advise against looking at his partner directly in the eye for the next thirteen hours.”_ **

“Why?” Brick asked nervously.

**_“You would suffer from severe bodily harm. The kind that makes a seasoned trauma surgeon anxious…”_ **

Chuckling nervously at the thought, Brick smiled and entered the break room. His nervous smile became an elated grin when he spotted Vinnie Dakota. The grin diminished slightly when he saw Vinnie wasn’t alone. Unsurprisingly (but still a bit disappointing), Vinnie was sitting at a lunch table with Cooperdink and that crazy, green-haired girl who punched Chip in the face a few weeks ago… Or was it a month ago? Brick was starting to loose track of time.

Brick noticed that the three at the table were watching someone leave through the door at the opposite end of the room, but he couldn’t tell who. He thought he recognized the figure but before he could question it, his TICC forced him to keep his eyes locked on the table.

**_“Follow my lead, and this ensuing conversation will be a breeze.”_** Brick already felt his nerves begin to escalate—a side-effect of being around Vinnie—but a small tingle down his spine seemed to calm them. With a confidence that he was 100% was the TICC’s doing, Brick approached the table. **_“How’s it going, you guys?”_**

“How’s it going, you guys?” Brick parroted. Cooperdink raised a brow at him, seemingly surprised that Brick was associating with him of his own will. Lotte meanwhile gave a low-whistle.

“Someone’s got some _pretty big_ boom-stick to show their face at work today.” The green-haired girl snickered to herself, and then outright giggle upon noticing Cavendish’s reding cheeks from her choice of words.

“What’re you talking about?”

“Savannah.” Vinnie informed him, and Brick was momentarily distracted by how cute Vinnie was with the cheap light from the fluorescent lights form above them shining down. “She seems pretty pissed at ya, buddy.”

“Oh?” Brick replied, barley paying attention, instead focusing on Dakota.

“Yes. She seemed quite, er, _hostile_.” Cooperdink informed him, snapping Brick out of his Dakota-induced trance.

“That’s weird, I haven’t seen her since…” Brick paused as he realized he hadn’t seen Savanah in quite some time. Come to think of it, most of his time since receiving a TICC had been with Chip. Brick knew Savannah was angry with him for spreading that rumor, but he had figured since he had thus far avoided confrontation that everything was ok.

Lotte chuckled wickedly to herself. “Hostile and pissed are putting it lightly.” She turned to Brick and gave him an evil grin. “She’s out for _blood_. Probably yours.” Brick gulped nervously as Cavendish nudged Lotte.

“I wouldn’t worry so much ‘bout it.” Dakota assured. “I mean, yeah, Savannah can be pretty lethal when she’s angry, but as long as you’re willing to talk it out like an adult, ya should be fine.”

“Fine with what?” Block asked the group as he approached the table. He leveled a confused look at Brick. “What in the name of the Holy Roman Empire are you wearing? You look ridiculous!”

“Uh… Gaston le Mode?”

“I think he looks Retro.” Lotte smirked.

“I don’t really care what you think.” Block told her curtly. “I just need your signature on this form.” The head of the bureau handed Lotte the form, which she balked at in surprise.

“What the hell, Blockbrain?” Lotte pointed an accusatory finger. “You bend over backwards to give Chip a new partner and yet I practically had to _beg_ to get _temporarily_ assigned with these two, Chuckleheads?!”

“We’re sitting right here, Lotte.” Cavendish pointed out. “There’s no need to shout…”

Ignoring her friend, Lotte leveled an angry glare at Block. “I see how it is; even though Wolowitz and I are in the exact same position, his needs and his Partner Change Agreement is more important than mine!”

“ _Partner Change Agreement_?” Brick reached over and yanked the papers out of Lotte’s hands. Sure enough, there was a Partner Change Agreement form in his hands, with both Chip’s and his signatures on it. Only problem was, Brick didn’t remember signing it.

_Did Chip forge my signature?!_ Brick wondered. He received a small shock at the base of his neck.

**_“Just play along.”_** His TICC told him sternly. **_“As far as Blockbrain knows, you signed it.”_**

_I… don’t know if I want a new partner._

**_“Do you think I care? You’re getting one anyway. Besides, after what you did to Savannah, do you really think she wants to be your partner?”_ **

As Brick was left to think over this, Lotte continued her angry tirade towards Block. “Where was _my_ partner change agreement? Huh? I was the one who filed for a new partner first! Where’s my justice?!”

Block winced and pinched his brow. “I don’t have time for this! I have congressmen and investigators alike breathing down my neck about that hacking. Just sign this so we can be done with it.” Lotte only sneered at him. Block rolled his eyes. “Let me put it to you this way: if he has a new partner, you’re less likely to be stuck with him.”

While she still looked pissed off, Lotte sighed heavily before pulling out a pen from her pocket and angrily scribbling her signature on one of the available lines. Once complete, she flung the papers at Block without so much of a warning. Block reorganized the papers and gave an exasperated groan as a thank you before mumbling about going to find Savannah.

As soon as Block was out of the room, Lotte straightened her jacket. “Well boys, this has been a nice chat. But if you’ll excuse me I’m gonna head outside and, oh, I don’t know, _kick a tree_.” The green-haired girl angrily stomped her way out of the break room, shoving anyway out of her way if she had to. The three men watched on for a moment, slightly fearful of what an angry Lotte could do to anyone who crossed her.

It was Cavendish who broke the silence with an awkward laugh. “Well, if you two need me, I’m going to go, I don’t know, _save a tree_.” The mustached man clung to his hat as he made a mad dash to catch up to his companion and prevent a tree-homicide. Leaving Brick alone with one Vinnie Dakota.

The nerves were starting to settle in again.

**_“Calm down, Casanova.”_** The TICC told him, artificially calming him. Brick was still nervous, but less so now. **_“Just go up to him and make casual conversation about anything.”_**

Clearing his throat, Brick approached Dakota. “Your partner is quite… _temperamental_.”

Dakota laughed a bit. “Yeah, she’s lethal.”

“I guess her, uh, skill-set goes to waste cleaning renaissance potties, huh?”

“Not always. One time she drop-kicked a squire for asking to many questions about her hair into the castle moat. No one bothered us after that…”

Brick smiled slightly as Dakota resumed eating his lunch. This was the longest conversation he had with Vinnie Dakota since… he couldn’t really remember when. That’s when he felt his TICC buzz slightly in the back of his head. **_“You have no idea what to say, do you?”_** The lack of an answer from it’s host was enough of an answer to the TICC. **_“Ugh. Repeat after me: ‘So it’s not weird. Having an extra partner after having been in a duo for so long’?”_**

“So, it’s not weird? Having an extra partner after having been in a duo for so long, I mean.” Brick repeated.

Dakota shrugged. “I guess it was a little awkward that first day, but after that Lotte just opened right up. She’s a cool chick to be around.”

“Right, right…” Brick trailed off for a second. After feeling another, more prominent buzzing towards the back of his skull he continued. “Pretty cool chick, eh?”

“Oh yeah. Pretty cool…”

**_“Now say: ‘Oh. So, you… and her…’? Exactly like that!”_ **

“Oh. So, you… _and her_ …?”

“What? No! No, Lotte’s just m’ friend.”

Brick quietly sighed in relief. It was not the TICC, but more his own curiosity, that made Brick continue. “So, you’re not seeing anyone right now? Not interested in anyone.”

Dakota’s ears turned a lovely shade of pink and a shy smile crossed his handsome face. “Well, I mean, there is this _one guy_ that I’m kinda into…”

“Oh, really?” Brick managed to keep his voice even, despite the overwhelming feelings of joy and hope threatening to choke him u. The TICC probably had something to do with it. “Would I know him?”

“Maybe… we all work together and…” A dreamy sigh escaped the tracksuit wearing man’s lips. “He’s really smart, strong, and just a wonderful guy…”

 “So, how long have you been into this guy?” Brick asked, appearing friendly to mask his probing questions.

“If I’m bein’ honest, awhile. But recently, something’s just sorta… I dunno, _changed_. It’s like he’s a whole new person.”

_Is he talking about me?_ Brick wondered.

**_“Of course, he is, I’ve been activating your pheromones since we’ve entered the room. I cannot envision Vinnie Dakota talking about anyone else.”_** The TICC told him. **_“Keep it up, Romeo…”_**

“He sounds like a great guy.”

“Yeah, he really is.” Dakota raised a brow at Brick. “Is it weird that I’m telling all of this to you?”

“No! Not at all.” Brick smiled shyly at the man. “It’s kind of nice, just talking to you like this.”

“Yeah, we’ve never really done it before.” Dakota smiled. “Mind if I ask you something?”

“Go right ahead.”

“This _guy_ I’m into… I know he’s worth it and he’s been puttin’ all of this effort into our… I guess our relationship. I just, I dunno, I want to make sure he’s comfortable with this. That he knows that I’m ok with whatever he wants. The problem is, I dunno how to tell him that. Any suggestions?”

Swallowing back the ecstatic nerves (again, probably with the TICC’s help) Brick gave Dakota one of his most charming smiles. “I think the best thing to do is to talk to _this guy_ , tell him how you feel and see what he wants to do.”

“You really think that will work?”

“I know it will.” Brick said earnestly, gazing into Dakota’s sunglasses covered eyes. Brick felt the urge to reach over and remove them, but before he could even move, a faint yet distinctive crashing sound was heard coming from the foyer. Utterly spoiling the mood.

“What the hell was that?” Brick asked.

“Ooh, right, Lotte went to go kick a tree…” Dakota winced.

“Wait, she can actually kick a tree?” Brick asked. “And knock it down?

“She can kick several and knock it down, actually.” From the break room, the two agents heard a low murmur begin to start. “I should probably go help with damage control.” Dakota quickly swallowed the rest of his lunch and stood up from the table. As he headed for the exit, he paused and turned back to give Brick a friendly smile. “Hey Brick, thanks for the advice.”

Brick smiled shyly. “Hey, anytime.” The top-agent felt a slight buzz at the base of his head and suddenly, before he could stop himself, he spoke again. “Uh, actually, if after you’ve done damage control, maybe we could talk—”

Vinnie Dakota chuckled good-naturedly. “I appreciate you wanting to help and all, but I think I need to have this talk with Cavendish by myself. Don’t worry, I’ll put your advice to good work!” Dakota gave the top-agent a friendly wave as he left the room.

Brick’s heart dropped into his stomach. The TICC caused all sorts of buzzing in his head as it continuously kept repeating **_“Warning! Warning!”_** in his head. Without his consent, the TICC took control of Brick’s legs and escorted him out of the break room and to an opposite end of the Bureau.

Before they left the room, however, Brick was able to mutter “He likes _Cooperdink_?!”

**_–Meanwhile, with Savannah–_ **

Savannah brushed past the agents in the hallway, giving those who dared to look at her a glare. She was on the hunt for Brick, and frankly, had no time to deal with anybody’s stupidity or those _goddamned rumors_. Luckily for her, at this point in her career, she had mastered the ‘Don’t-fuck-with-me’ glare. It was a weapon in and of itself.

As she reached the staircase, she noticed Chip walking towards her, a smirk on his face. Savannah sent him a glare, and while he faltered slightly, the second-class agent continued walking towards her. “Terribly sorry about the news, sweetheart. I tried to talk him out of it, but he seemed insistence.”

Savannah raised a brow. “What?”

“To think, if Brick hadn’t already gone to Block and requested me personally, I could’ve been your new partner.” The curly-haired man slides an arm around Savannah’s waist, startling her and effectively creeping her out. “It’s a shame, really. We could’ve been a great tea—ow! Ow! That’s my arm, ow!”

Savannah frowned at the man as she pinned his arm behind his back and began twisting it. “You have ten seconds to explain what the hell you’re talking about.”

“I-it was Brick’s idea! I swear!”

“What was?”

“The new partner agreement! He gave it to Block this morning, and he convinced me to sign it.” While Savannah did stop twisting his arm, she didn’t let go of Chip. She was to in shock about what he just said. “He… He told me you knew…”

Savannah twisted his arm again, making Chip squeal in a very emasculating way. “Where is he?” The woman growled.

“I-I think he went outside! Get some fresh air and all?” Savannah let go of Chip, effectively dropping the man on the floor. Chip watched her go, praying that Brick knew of some good hiding places.

**_–A little bit later, with Brick–_ **

Brick paced back and forth in the corridor. He just couldn’t come to terms with it, he was in shock. His TICC—while silent—was buzzing in the very back of his brain, preferring to just calmly recollect itself after the initial failure.

“Dakota _likes_ Cooperdink… He likes _Cooperdink_ … _Vinnie_ likes _Cooperdink_.”

**_“Yes, this has been well established already.”_** The TICC told him.

“But… But _why_?!” Brick ran a hand through his hair. “I mean… I’m attractive, I’m tall, I’m funny, and charming!”

**_“Uh… sure. Let’s go with that.”_ **

“How could Vinnie be into a guy like that?! Cooperdink’s a walking cornstalk with a mustache!”

**_“You gotta admit, it’s a pretty cool mustache.”_ **

“And what the hell were you doing?!”  Brick asked, angrily. “You turned me into a marionette back there! Not cool…”

**_“I was merely escorting you off the premise to avoid a confrontation with Vinnie Dakota.”_** The TICC told him. **_“Besides, it’s quite obvious that Vinnie Dakota doesn’t see you as relationship material.”_**

“I know! Why do you think I got you in the first place?”

**_“Are you really sure that you want him?”_ **

“Of course!”

**_“You realize that there are many opportunities for companionship considering your line of work.”_ **

“Are you kidding me?” Brick asked.

“It is not.” Brick looked over to see Chip approaching him, a suggestive smirk on his face. “There are plenty of opportunities.” The first-class agent wrinkled his nose in disgust.

“Ok, TICC, I don’t know what your insinuating here, but _no_.” Chip rolled his eyes and leaned up against the wall.

“Tough crowd. The TICC has a point, though. Becoming the kind of person that would impress Vinnie Dakota would take more than… working out a few bugs.”

“What’d you mean?” Brick asked.

“You need to Reboot your reputation.” Chip told him. “Supercharge your social standing.”

**_“You need to upgrade.”_ **

“Huh?”

**_“You need to show Vinnie Dakota, show the Bureau, that you really have changed.”_ **

Chip smirked and glanced over his shoulder. “I think I know what your TICC is getting at. I’ll get out of your way buddy.” As Chip moved to hide behind the corner wall, the TICC buzzed loudly in Brick’s head.

**_“Stimulating limbic system for sympathetic response.”_** And just like that, tears were welling up in Brick’s eyes. His hand moved to cover his mouth and his whole body shook, as if we was on the precipice of sobbing. That’s when Aiden rounded the corner.

“Brick, there you are! I came looking for you as soon as I finished my mission.” Aiden told him.

“I-I’m sorry,” Brick apologized, “but I don’t know why I’m crying.”

“Well I do,” Aiden said, wiping a tear from Brick’s eye, “and I want to say that I’m sorry. I didn’t know that when Jonah flipped the switch all the cryogenic pods would deactivate.”

“Wh-what are you talking about?”

“Oh my god, you don’t know?” Aiden swallowed before finally blurting out, “Gaston le Mode is dead!”

Brick blinked in confusion before the news finally registered with him. “Wait, Gaston le Mode is dead?!” There was a slight buzzing in the back of Brick’s head before he began to sob uncontrollably. Aiden was quick to embrace the man in a comforting hug. “I-I thought he died decades ago?”

“He did, but during the end of the millennium he got really sick and was selected to be apart of a group of people cryogenically frozen until the cure was found.” Aiden glanced down bashfully. “That is until Jonah flipped the wrong switch and sort of… _overheated_ the pods.” Despite how disturbing he found this, Brick could not do much more than continue the sob, the TICC seemingly having control over all of his functions. “I mean, I was never really into him or his fashion because he was a big jerk to his employees, but I knew that you liked him so…”

As Aiden comforted Brick in this trying time, a thought dawned on the first-class agent. _Did you know this was going to happen?_

**_“Of course not.”_ **

_So, it’s just a coincidence that you told me to buy all sorts of Gaston le Mode outfits?_

**_“Of course not.”_ **

Suddenly Brick felt sick. _Did you KILL Gaston le Mode?!_

**_“Not exactly. My quantum processor allows me to envision probable futures. While I did not know that today, Monsieur le Mode would become akin to a boiled egg, I was aware of a…_ ** **favorable outcome _.”_**

Brick paused and pondered this news. _Favorable for who?_

“Y’know, Brick,” Aiden said, trailing his fingers up Brick’s arm, “you don’t have to be alone right now.” The pink-haired man smiled sweetly.

**_“Brick, you need to upgrade your image to a more likeable one. Here is a kind,_** **likeable _man who likes you.”_** As Aiden pulled Brick towards a nearby exit, the TICC instructed him on what to do next. **_“Follow him where he leads you.”_**

And Brick did. He allowed Aiden to lead him outside of the Bureau and to a nearby park. The pink-haired man smiled, inhaled, and exhaled deeply before turning to Brick. “This is my favorite place in the entire city. There’s so much fresh air here! And a downed tree apparently…” Brick looked and saw what looked like a Redwood tree that was knocked down. Oddly enough, the top of the tree seemed to have landed in the foyer of the Bureau. “I wonder how that happened?” Brick glanced away. “Yeah, it’s a mystery.”

Aiden pulled Brick closer to the center of the park. _“~Being here, with you right now. Our future is so clear, our union is so near!~”_ The pink-haired man hugged Brick close, looking up at him with star’s in his eyes.

_“~Being he **r** e, **w** i **t** h **y** o **u** r **i** g **h** t **n** o **w**. **I** ' **l** l **t** e **n** d **e** r **l** y **g** u **i** d **e** y **o** u **.**. **.** ~ **”**_ Brick was startled, but not at all surprised, when his TICC started to harmonize with Aiden. The buzzing in the back of Brick’s head intensified and suddenly, the only singing he could hear was coming from his TICC. ** _“~Just take me inside you:_ forever _.~”_** As the TICC sang, Brick noticed that Aiden’s once sparkling brown eyes, turned to a startling neon green.

Startled by this, Brick jerked back slightly and ended up loosing his balance and falling flat on his back. When the first-class agent glanced up again he saw Chip looking down at him with a wide grin. The curly-haired man yanked Brick to his feet before he too started to sing. _“~Your life was so pitiful before but now it's time to go all the way and more.~”_ Chip glanced at Brick, his neon green eyes flashing before the TICC joined in again. **_“_** _~ **Y** o **u** g **o** t **t** a **'** g **e** t **a** n **u** p **g** r **a** d **e**! **~** ”_

Brick raised a brow. _“~Upgrade?~”_

**_“_ ** _~ **U** p **g** r **a** d **e**! **Y** o **u** g **o** t **t** a **'** g **e** t **a** n **u** p **g** r **a** d **e**! **~** ”_

_“~Upgrade?~”_

**_“_ ** _~ **U** p **g** r **a** d **e**! **~** ”_

The TICC’s buzzing grew louder in the back of Brick’s head and, despite how well things had been going, Brick couldn’t help but feel a strong sense of guilt. Mainly for leading Aiden on like this. The TICC continued to sing. **_“~Don't worry about the guilt you feel. Just take a breath and seal the deal.~”_**

“~Damn! Gotta' get an upgrade…~” Chip shrugged his jacket off and began to twirl it around as if doing some odd little dance to try and seem cool. _“~You gotta' get an upgrade!~”_

To try and get some distance so he could think this offer through, Brick sneakily jumped over the downed tree and slid up against the nearby building. Unfortunately, he was not alone. Sitting on the front steps to the Bureau (or, at least, a section of steps not covered by tree limbs) were Vinnie Dakota, Cooperdink, and Lotte. The latter seeing to be in a very sullen mood.

“So, what did we learn from all this?” Dakota asked his green-haired companion, nodding slightly toward the tree.

Lotte sighed. “Kicking trees until they fall is not a healthy form of aggression release.”

“And?” Cooperdink prompted.

“If I want to release some aggression, I should either sit and meditate. Or maybe find a building that’s supposed to be demolished anyway because then at least my strength and aggression could be put to good use.”

“That’s not necessarily… Ah, never mind, it will still work.” Cooperdink shrugged.

“Wan’ us t’ go with ya when ya explain yourself to Block?” Dakota offered.

“Nah, you two relax for a bit, I’ve put you in enough strain today.” Lotte slowly stood and shook some dust and snow off of her. “Well, let’s hope I don’t murder him when I explain what happened.”

“I suppose I should get started with the incident report.” Cooperdink made to stand but Lotte waved a dismissal hand.

“Don’t worry Cav, I’ll fill it out. I can still fake your signature like back in the good ol’ days.”

“Ain’t ya just the beacon of integrity, Lotte?” Dakota smirked teasingly.

“You betcha.” Lotte winked at the two men before heading inside.

Dakota chuckled a bit. “She’s a spitfire, alright. Was she this violently temperamental back in the day?”

“Believe it or not she was worse.”

Dakota smiled as if to say, ‘Not really, but sure let’s go with that’ and shyly glanced to the side. The younger man than took a deep breath before turning back to his companion. “Hey, Cav?”

“Yes, Dakota?”

“You had fun yesterday, right?”

The older man blushed slightly and smiled. “Of course I did.”

“Great! I mean, er, I… What I’m trying to say is… Would you want to do it again?” Dakota glanced down nervously. “Like on a normal… regular basis?”

Cavendish’s eyes widened, and his blush deepened. “Dakota are you asking me to be your boyfriend?” Brick’s heart sank as Cavendish asked the questioned.

“Y-yeah. I am. B-but only if you want too! I don’t want to push you to do anything you don’t want to do—” Cavendish gently grabbed one of Dakota’s hands and smiled at the man.

“Dakota, I think for once in my life I know exactly what I want.” Dakota blushed a deep red and he looked utterly starstruck. Brick, meanwhile, felt as f he had been hit in the gut with a two-by-four. “But, I don’t think I can give you a proper response if you don’t ask me.”

Dakota smiled and laughed a bit before he began to sing. _“~Do you wanna come over to my place tonight? We'll go to dinner and see a movie or get some takeout. I think that’s groovy!~”_ Cavendish smiled fondly at the man sitting beside him as he nervously continued. _“~Unless you wanna do something else, then that’s alright. If you’re sure this is what you want to do…?~”_

“I’m sure.” Cavendish told him.

Vinnie Dakota looked near close to bursting. _“~Oh yeah, yeah!~”_

_“~I’ve never felt this way before. I don't know if you know it, but I am sure that it’s time we take an upgrade.~”_ Cavendish sang to Dakota.

_“~Upgrade?~”_

_“~Upgrade! We can be each other’s upgrade.”_

_“~Oh wow!~”_

_“~Upgrade!~”_

_“~Y’know I am happy, but this is new. Still, are you absolutely sure this is what you want to do?~”_ Dakota glanced at Cavendish, searching the man’s face for any sign of hesitation. He wouldn’t push Cavendish into doing something he didn’t wan to do, after all. He loved him too much for that.

To his surprise, and utter delight, Cavendish’s face morphed into one of determination as he grabbed Dakota’s other hand and sang, _“~I think I’m ready for an upgrade.~”_ which led to the two men singing, _“~Ready for an upgrade!~”_

Brick sank to the ground, ready to allow the utter melancholy of heartbreak overtake his soul, but before he could, Chip appeared at his side. The curly-haired man slapped him roughly upside the head before he and the TICC continued to sing _. **“** ~ **C** - **c** - **c** c **'** m **o** n **B** r **i** c **k** , **c** a **n** ' **t** y **o** u **s** e **e**. **W** e **g** o **t** a **p** l **a** n **,** n **o** w **b** e **a** m **a** n **.** **Y** o **u** s **t** a **r** t **w** i **t** h **A** i **d** e **n** , **~** ”_ Chip gestured to the pink-haired man sitting calmly on the park bench, **_“_** _~ **a** n **d** t **h** e **n** , **p** r **o** g **r** e **s** s **!** A **n** d **w** e **a** s **s** e **s** s **a** n **d** s **o** o **n** , **s** u **c** c **e** s **s** w **i** l **l** i **n** t **e** r **v** e **n** e **b** y **w** h **i** c **h** , **I** m **e** a **n**. **.**. **V** i **n** n **i** e **.** ~ **”**_

Brick glanced back over towards the object of his affection. _“~Vinnie…~”_ The two men stood up, still hand in hand, and walked back into the building.

**_“_** _~ **V** i **n** n **i** e **…** **V** i **n** n **i** e **… Vinnie… VINNIE!~”**_ Brick screamed in agony as his TICC and it’s legion of robotic voices practically fried his ear drums with their singing. The man staggered to the side, clutching his ears in pain.

“There are too many voices in my head!” Brick said, his voice breaking slightly. “I just… I just need a minute to _process all of this_.” After a moment, he glanced over to Chip. Brick frowned. “ _Alone_.” Chip merely raised a brow. “Dude could you and the technological chorus line leave me alone for five minutes, so I can think?”

Chip blinked for a second and then, eyes flashing, smiled curtly. “Of course. Take your time…” As the man walked away, he heard his TICC say **_“Temporarily Offline Protocol: Initiated.”_** And suddenly the buzzing in the back of Brick’s head stopped and he sighed in relief.

After pulling himself to his feet Brick wandered aimlessly inside the Bureau, rubbing his temples as he tried to process everything. Hopefully, his TICC and Chip would listen to him and give him a moments peace to think. However, as of late, life had a way of throwing Brick into a wall. And not in the metaphorical sense either, someone literally snuck up on Brick and chucked him into a nearby wall.

The first-class agent slid down the wall, landing head first before falling flat onto his back. He blinked in confusion, “Ok, I think my first response is _OW_!” He was then roughly yanked to his feet and looked directly into Savannah’s withering glare.

“What the hell is your problem?”

“Savannah? Oh my gosh, I’m so happy to see you!” Brick’s head was slammed against the wall again.

“You have a _lot of nerve_ to say that to me.” Savannah snarled. “First you ditch me on a mission, then you don’t speak to me for three weeks, and then you request a new partner without even talking to me?!”

“I-I would’ve spoken to you, but I _haven’t_ seen you in three weeks.” Brick told her sincerely.

“You really expect me to believe that? I walked right past you in the hallways multiple times in the past week alone!”

“What’re you talking about? I honestly haven’t see you since…” Since he got a TICC. Brick held up a finger and smiled sheepishly as he stepped aside. Then quietly muttered “Reactivate.”

**_“Systems: Online.”_** The familiar buzzing in the back of his head returned and the TICC spoke. **_“It’s called optic nerve blocking.”_**

“Why haven’t I seen Savannah since—wait, what?”

**_“Optic Nerve Blocking. I have been blocking…_ ** **Savannah _from your field of vision.”_**

“Why?” Brick asked.

“Brick? Who are you talking to?” Savannah asked. “And why are you standing there like a creep?”

**_“Savannah is a link to Brick 1.0. She is a weak link to your terrible self.”_** His TICC told him. **_“If you want to upgrade, you have to be willing to make some sacrifices.”_**

“Seriously, Brick, what the hell is going on with—” Savannah paused and suddenly, the words that Lotte spoke to her yesterday entered her head. _It’s like he just… forgot I existed… I don’t know when it started, but it’s just like overnight be became a different person._ Savannah placed a hand on Brick’s shoulder. “Brick are you ok?”

**_“Think, Brick; do you really want Savannah to hold you back?”_** The TICC asked him.

“Brick, seriously, what’s going on? Are you in trouble?”

**_“You can’t let her interfere with your plans to win Vinnie Dakota.”_ **

“Brick, you can talk to me.”

**_“Don’t listen to her, you can’t trust her. Trust me!”_ **

Brick winced at his TICC’s sudden increase in volume and took a step back, his head in his hands. Savannah, taking this as a sign that she was going to far, held up her hands as a sign of peace. “Ok, how about this, I’ll got get my car keys and we’ll go out to lunch and talk this out like a normal person ok?” Brick gave her an unsure look that Savannah responded with a weak smile. “I’ll go get my car keys, ok?”

As Savannah headed towards the garage, Brick noticed Chip walking towards him with a knowing look.          Brick glanced back towards Savannah forlornly. _“~I already know what it's like to... be the loser. I should find out what it's like to... not be the loser.~”_ Brick glanced at his reflection in a nearby by window. _“~I don't wanna' be special. I just wanna be as chill as life will allow… Should I take the upgrade?~”_

From behind him, Chip quietly approached him and with a wicked grin, began to chant **_“_** _~ **U** p **g** r **a** d **e** , **u** p **g** r **a** d **e** , **u** p **g** r **a** d **e** , **u** p **g** r **a** d **e** ~ **”**_

_“~Should I take the upgrade?~”_ As Brick glanced up at his reflection, he was momentarily blinded by a flash of green light. When his vision cleared, he was surprised to find Vinnie Dakota standing behind him. If Brick had been in his right mind, he would have realized that this Vinnie had strange, neon green eyes and a sort of robotic movement about him. The Vinnie in question lovingly laid his head on Brick’s shoulder and kept whispering something into Brick’s ears. A long, continuous string of, _“~Now, now, no **w** , **n** o **w** , **n** o **w** , **n** o **w** , **now, now, now, now, now, now, now, now, now, now!”**_

Brick tried to grab Vinnie’s hand but as he did, he disappeared in a flash of green light. The first-class agent made up his mind. _“~And I wasn't sure before but now I wanna' go all the way and more! So gimme that upgrade!~”_ Chip smirked and shook Brick’s hand, as if agreeing to a deal and the TICC buzzed loudly in the back of his head. _“~Gimme that upgrade!~”_ Chip then gestured out the window to where Aiden was sitting on the bench. _“~Tried to be genuine and true, but now it's time for something new. So gimme that upgrade! Gimme that upgrade.~”_ The pink-haired man waved cheerfully and gestured to the door nearest Brick.  The first-class agent approached the door with a look of determination. _“~Really it doesn't matter how I'm getting the u **p** g **r** a **d** e **r** i **g** h **t** n **o** w **!** ~ **”**_

“Brick,” the agent in questioned glanced over his shoulders to see Savannah looking at him expectantly, “are you coming or what?”

The man didn’t spare her a second glance. “Optic Nerve Blocking: On.” And suddenly, he could no longer see or sense Savannah’s presence, it was as if she didn’t exist anymore.

**_“Now, let’s get to work.”_** His TICC told him. With a determined grin, Brick strode out the door to meet Aiden and the two men left hand in hand, the TICC buzzing in the back of Brick’s head.

Chip smiled after his companion—and new partner—pleased with the work. **_“Our works not done yet,”_** his TICC reminded him. He brushed passed the shock and offended looking Savannah and headed towards the stairs to the computer lab. As he did, Chip noticed Lotte casually walking back up the stairs. As she reached the top of the stairwell, she paused and waited for him.

Before he descended down the stairs, he paused to stand next to her. The ex-partners each facing a different direction. After a second, Lotte turned to Chip and raised a brow at him from behind her trademark sunglasses. Chip smirked wickedly in response and nodded only once. Soon, Lotte mirrored his look and the two continued on their separate paths.

As she walked towards Savannah, the wicked grin changed to a sympathetic expression. “Oh my god, Savannah, I saw everything!” The green-haired girl placed a comforting arm around her shoulders. “Are you ok?”

“He… Something’s not right…” Savannah shook her head in slight disbelief.

“Let’s not worry about that right now. C’mon, I’ll buy you something to eat, my treat.” The green-haired woman began to lead the first-class agent away from the door. “Hey, maybe we could talk to Block about us being partners? After all, it seems we’re each other’s only options right now.” Lotte sent Savannah a smile in an attempt to cheer her up. The agent only frowned. A corner of Lotte’s mouth turned down. “Hey, you don’t need Brick. I’ll help you out and soon, you’ll be back on top again!” She glanced at Savannah’s outfit and her mouth set into a thin line. “And we can start by getting you a new dress, cause that one _does not_ look good on you…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “~Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah!~”  
> This is it guys, we’re over the halfway mark! 6 chapters to go. On a side note, how many of you hate me for this chapter. Hehehe…  
> On that note I’ll be taking a brief break from this story to work on scholarships, personal projects, and a couple one-shots I have in mind. However, I tentatively promise to have the next chapter up sometime after July Fourth (two-weeks after at the most if all goes as planned).  
> So until next time, stay safe, support net neutrality, and have a fantastic day!


	8. Savannah flying Solo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Savannah gets a new partner...

**_–In the 21 st Century–_ **

The sound of cheers of support and jubilant shouts coming from the gymnasium seemed to be at war with the faint, yet distinctive laughter of children and blaring music coming from the auditorium to see who could give Savannah the biggest headache. However, they both tied for second place when compared to the immediate banging, clanging, and incessant chatter that Lotte seemed to be taking part in at the moment.

“—to make sure it doesn’t burst into flames, y’know? I know that it sounds statistically improbable, and you’re right because 99.3% of people do to, but I know for a fact that the 0.7% chance of this Pistachio Cart spontaneously combusting is very likely. So that’s why I’m rigging the system too—” Lotte rambled off, using power tools that Savannah was fairly certain she didn’t enter the school with to “fix” the pistachio cart they were assigned to guard.

It had been a couple days since the “Brick the Prick” incident, as Lotte so affectionately referred to it, and after convincing Block to let Lotte be Savannah’s new partner, the two had been re-assigned to Pistachio duty. Cavendish and Dakota were to continue Renaissance Potty duty, and Brick had been assigned to help Chip with his mission—whatever the hell that was.

After a particularly loud clang, Savannah groaned and glanced over the other side of the cart. “What the fresh hell are you doing?”

Lotte peeked her head over the edge of the cart, a brow raised behind her dark sunglasses. “Weren’t you listening? I’m making the pistachio cart indestructible!”

“Why?”

“Better safe than sorry, I always say!” The green haired girl replied cheerfully.

“I have never heard you say that before…” Savannah sighed.

“Maybe if you were a better listener, you would have. No wonder Brick couldn’t stand to be around you anymore…” Lotte mumbled the last part, but Savannah still heard her.

Savannah’s brow furrowed as she slouched back into her seat. That was one of the problems with working with Lotte, her backhanded comments. The former first-class agent wasn’t sure if the green-haired girl used to do this with Cavendish and Dakota (though she doubted it), but it was starting to get to her. For the few past days, from clock-in to clock-out, it would be something like “Really? You’re wearing _that_ out” or “For a former first-class agent, you’re not that bright,” or Savannah’s favorite “God, it’s like I’m the only real agent around here…”

It stung. It really did.

“There!” Lotte exclaimed, hopping to her feet, and dusting herself off. “Now, the cart should be 72% more likely to withstand llama stampedes, sudden woodpecker swarmings, or giant plasma screen TV’s falling on top of it!”

“Those are very specific set of circumstances…”

“Well, I couldn’t prevent _all_ disasters, sooo I tried to prepare for the ones that are more statistically possible for the area.”

“Really?” Savannah raised an unbelieving brow. “A llama stampede is one of the most statistically probable things to happen in the area?”

“You’d be surprised.” Lotte rubbed the back of her neck. “I know I was…”

“Lotte! Lotte!” A youthful voice called from down the hall, closer to the theatre. The green-haired women turned and smiled happily.

“Hey Zack!” As two children approached the Pistachio Cart, Lotte met them halfway and embraced the boy in a hug. Savannah recognized the boy—who was dressed as some pop icon from the 1980’s for some reason—as the “Zack kid” she and Brick had seen hanging around Cavendish and Dakota. The girl—who for whatever reason was dressed as a Renaissance Princess—smiled at the two embracing friends and gave a polite wave to Savannah, which she half-heartedly returned. “You two are looking swanky… Ok, lemme guess; since Amanda is dressed as a princess and Zack is dressed as _Prince_ , I’m gonna say you guys are working on the _Halloween_ number for your show.”

Amanda laughed. “Close, but not quite.”

“Today’s the Costume Parade!” Zack explained. “We’re trying on all of our costumes to make sure they fit and if they can be improved. Milo’s sister and her friends volunteered to help with the costumes and everything.”

“Wow, that was really cool of them.” Lotte smiled, admiring the children’s costumes. “Hey, is Milo with you two? I made some improvements to the Pistachio cart and I want to test them out.”

“Sorry, he’s not.” Zack smiled apologetically. “Some field mice came in through the vents and tore his Halloween costume to pieces. He and Sara are trying to salvage what they can from the whole thing.”

“That sucks… Oh, shoot, I think I forgot the field mice prevention protocol.”

“That is not a thing.” Savannah pointed out.

“How would you know?” Lotte asked harshly. “You’re too busy paying attention to your own face that you never think about anyone else.” Amanda and Zack’s eyes widened at Lotte’s sudden hostility. The two children watched as Savannah switched from surprised, to angry, to melancholy all within a matter of seconds. Lotte sighed heavily, “Look, just, go make yourself useful for once and go get my tool kit from the car.”

Savannah, avoiding Lotte’s gaze, gave a quiet, “Whatever,” and walked off in the direction of the stage. Lotte rolled her eyes and called out “That’s not the way we came in!” but Savannah was already gone. “Eh, she never listened anyway…”

Zack and Amanda exchanged a look. “Hey, Lotte, don’t you think you were a little hard on her?”

“What’d you mean?”

“I mean… well, you were never this harsh around Cavendish and Dakota…” Zack awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck.

Lotte frowned at the youth. “Zack, wasn’t she the one who chased you through a sewer? Why should you care?”

“That’s true, but—”

“You were kind of hard on her…” Amanda trailed off, not knowing what else to say. Lotte gave her a dirty look.

“I didn’t think this concerned you.” Amanda shrunk back slightly, and Zack raised a brow at Lotte, not really understanding why she was acting so harshly all of a sudden. The green-haired woman must have realized this because her face and tone softened. “You two came to grab snacks for the others right? I can set you up with a ton of Pistachios. Maybe a few water bottles to help you stay hydrated?”

Zack and Amanda exchanged glances, they had indeed come to get snacks, but the two had lost their appetites after seeing Lotte’s rather cruel treatment of Savannah. Still, it didn’t mean there friends weren’t hungry.

“Uh, yeah, that sounds nice.” Zack smiled weakly.

“Could I have mine lightly salted, please?” Amanda asked cautiously.

Lotte, either not noticing the children’s cautious tone or just simply not caring, smiled. “Sure thing! I’ll have it ready in a jiff…”

**_–In the year 2176–_ **

Through the walls of the bathroom, Chip could still hear the loud music of the club. His and Brick’s TICC thought it would be a good idea to connect with Jonah and Aiden, build some bridges. A double date seemed to be the easiest way to do that.

Chip, not being particularly into Jonah (and knowing that the man in question hated most of humanity in general), decided to get completely shit-faced. Try and replace the constant buzzing in his brain with a more enjoyable buzz, even if it was only temporary. He could only put up with the constant put-downs, commands, and reminders of ‘sticking to the plan’ for so long.

After five cheep beers and a failed attempt at getting someone’s number, his TICC realized what he was trying to do and, with what little control it had over him due to his intoxicated state, piloted him over to the men’s room and forced Chip to upchuck all the alcohol he just drank.

So to put it mildly, Chip was in Hell.

After another round of dry heaving, Chip slumped onto the floor of the bathroom, panting. “Why… why are you doing…. Doing this?”

**_“You know why.”_** His TICC told him. **_“We’re this close to starting the final phase of our plan, we need to be in perfect sync! You being pissed as a newt isn’t going to help us much…”_**

Chip coughed and glared at the tile he was laying on. “Your plan… not mine…”

**_“Is that supposed to mean something?”_** The TICC asked threateningly.

“Look…” Chip pushed himself up and wiped the sweat from his brow. “I’m all for taking Blockhead down a peg or two…” The curly-haired man panted again. “But this is going too far…”

A bolt of electricity shot through his system, and suddenly, Chip couldn’t move. The curly0haired man started to panic. The buzzing in his brain grew dangerously loud. **_“Are you disobeying a direct order?”_**

Chip’s breaths came in short burst. He was panicking, he knew he was, he knew he had to calm down… but he wasn’t sure how. Normally his TICC would sense his growing heartrate and calm him manually. But now, Chip realized his TICC was part of the problem. A painful shock traveled from Chip’s spine to the very tips of his fingers. With a robotic sense of precision, Chip’s left hand dug into his jacket pocket and pulled out the pocket knife he kept on him for self-defense purposes and pressed it dangerously close to his neck.

Chip’s heartrate spiked, and his breath caught in his throat as his TICC spoke in a low, warning tone. **_“Let’s not forget who’s really in charge here, Mr. Wolowitz.”_**

The TICC forced Chip to stand up, despite how sick he still felt, knife pressed close to his neck. Chip tried with all of his might to regain control of his limbs, but all he could manage to do was shed a single tear of fear. It rolled down his cheek and splashed onto the hand that held the knife.

He was trapped.

**_–In the 21 st Century–_ **

Melissa set down the duct tape with a satisfied grin. “There,” she said, “I’d like to see those field mice try and make a nest out of your cyborg costume now.” Milo glanced down and smiled at the duct tape Melissa had wrapped around all important seams on his costume. Seeing as how that is how the field mice destroyed most of it in the first place, he was happy for the extra protection. Even if it felt a little awkward to move his arms around.

“Thanks, Melissa! Now, here, let me duct tape your seams.” Melissa smiled and stretched out her arms, so Milo could attempt to fix the holes the field mice made in her clown costume. Unfortunately for Milo, his hands got wrapped up in a sort of cat’s cradle of tape, much to Melissa’s confusion.

“Did you guys fix your costumes?” Amanda asked as she and Zack approached the two, arms full of pistachio bags.

“Mine’s good!” Milo smiled.

“Mine, not so much.” Melissa gestured to Milo and the Duct-tape.

“I can tell.” Zack deadpanned. “Hey, can I ask you two a question?”

“Shoot, boyband.” Melissa smirked.

“Has Lotte been acting… _strange_ lately?” Milo and Melissa exchanged glances.

“What kind of strange?” Milo asked.

“There are different types of strange?” Amanda asked.

“There is around Milo.” Melissa answered. “And more to the point; Zack, what kind of strange are you talking about? Is it something like ‘seagulls-in-the-funhouse strange or running-away-from-a-two-ton-ball-of-cake-batter-while-rollerblading strange?”

Zack raised his brow. “Um… more like Lotte-being-unnecessarily-mean-to-her-new-partner strange.”

Milo paused his attempts to free himself from the duct tape to stare at Zack incredulously. “Lotte? Mean to someone? That doesn’t sound right.”

“Are you sure she wasn’t just using some weird tough love scenario-thingy?” Melissa asked.

“I’m sure of it! I’ve never seen her act like that before. I mean, sure, she’ll spout random facts at the oddest points like she’s the human encyclopedia, but this was an all-new level of strange for her.”

Amanda nodded in agreement. “The insults seemed to be really personal too… I feel bad for her new co-worker.” Before the kids could discuss Lotte’s odd behavior, Bradley and Mort approached the group.

“Melissa, your cell-phones keeps ringing.” Mort handed her the phone. “And the song’s starting to get stuck in our head.”

“And we already have enough songs stuck in our head due to the play…” Bradley sighed.

“Who’s calling you, your dad?” Milo asked.

Melissa searched through her call history and raised a brow. “Unknown number. 17 missed calls?” The redhead glanced up at the two boys. “Did you guys catch a name on the caller id?”

Bradley shook his head. “We were to busy trying harmonize with Mr. Draco’s tuba.”

Melissa’s phone buzzed once again, and this time she was able to catch the name on the caller id. “Monty M.G.! He just sent me a text!”

Milo and Zack’s eyes widened. “What?”

“Who?” Bradley and Mort asked.

“Someone who’s been texting Melissa in secret.” Amanda stage whispered. Mort’s eyes widened slightly. “Am I the only one who heard how that sounded?”

Melissa, Milo, and Zack ignored him as the redhead opened the message. _‘Room 203, by the leaky water fountain. Meet me there asap.’_ The three friends exchanged a quick look before making a beeline for the door. “Where are you three going?”

“We got an update on some intel!” Melissa called back to her friends, opening the stage door and rushing out into the hallway.

“Tell Mr. Draco we’ll be back in fifteen minutes.” Zack told them, following close behind.

“If we’re not back by then, tell our story!” Milo called chipperly as he shut the stage door with a loud bang, causing it to fall off of its hinges and crash to the floor.

Amanda, Bradley, and Mort stared in slight surprise at the door. Mort turned to his friends and asked, “Seriously, did you guys here that ‘texting in secret’ thing or was it just me?”

“Oh no, I heard it too.” Bradley assured him.

“I heard it right after I said it…” Amanda said.

**_–A few second later, near the leaky water fountain.–_ **

The trio skidded to a stop in front of the leaky water fountain—the one thing in the entire school that never seemed fixed, whether due to Murphy’s Law, lack of funding, or just general laziness—and scanned the area, looking for anyone who might be Monty M.G.

Zack, being the voice of reason that he is, frowned nervously. “What if this was all a trap and we’re about to be kidnapped or something?”

Melissa, being the agent of chaos that she is, scoffed. “C’mon, Zack, who would want to kidnap us?”

Milo, being truly the only calm person in this situation that he is, continued to glance around. The hallway was quiet. The only groups here were the high school basketball team practicing for the away game next weekend and the middle school drama club. Yet those groups were both in the same wing of the high school, which compared to their current location, was practically on the other side of the high school.

To his right, the leaky water fountain’s nozzle and guard snapped off and fell to the ground, causing a stream of water to shoot out past Milo—who sidestepped it to avoid ruining his costume. A cry of surprise came from the end of the darkened hallway.

“Hello? Who’s down there?” Melissa called out, calmly ignoring the stream of water a mere foot from her.

“Turn it off! Turn it off!” A male voice pleaded. Milo rummaged around in his backpack and found a small role of silver duct-tape. He ripped off a small amount and slapped it onto the broken fountain, temporarily fixing it.

“You’re good, mysterious stranger.” Zack gave a thumbs-up towards the darkened end. The trio heard footsteps approaching and watched anxiously as a teenager with brown hair and unibrow stepped out from the shadows, soaking wet.

“I was not expecting you kids to have water guns,” The man said, half-joking, “or I would’ve come prepared.”

Milo smiled apologetically. “Sorry, Murphy’s Law.” The boy reached into his backpack and pulled out a towel and handed it to the newcomer.

“Are you Monty M.G.?” Melissa asked, holding up her phone. “The one who’s been texting me?”

The man nodded. “You guys can just call me Monty. I work for the O.W.C.A, the Organization Without a Cool Acronym.”

Zack furrowed his brows. “O-W-C—wow, that really is an uncool acronym.”

Monty chuckled. “Yeah, I didn’t name it. Thanks for coming on short notice… though I feel like there’s a dress code memo I missed out on.”

The children looked down at their costumes and laughed. “We were rehearsing for a play.”

Monty smiled and handed the towel back to Milo. As the boy started to fold the towel, Monty’s face became more somber. “I’m glad I was able to get ahold of you guys, but I wish it was under better circumstances…”

“So… what is going on? Is something wrong with that Brick guy I recorded? Did he go rogue or something?”

Monty shook his head. “I don’t know about him going rogue, heck I’ve never even met the guy, but I know that he’s apart of something bigger and more dangerous then he might realize. And I think you three are in danger because of it.”

 “What’d you mean?” Zack asked fearfully.

Monty knelt down to their eyes level. “Have you guys ever heard of TICCs?”

**_–In the year 2176–_ **

Chip’s stomach was tossing and turning, and not just because of the alcohol. He no longer had control. His TICC forced him to press the knife closer to his throat. He was afraid the skin would break any moment now.

**_“So, Agent Wolowitz, are you ready to continue with the plan?”_** His TICC asked him.

_I’m going to die._ Chip realized. _I’m going to die, and everyone will think it’s because I did this._

**_“Agent Wolowitz, are you ready to continue with the plan?”_** His TICC repeated, a dangerous edge to its voice.

_This can’t be happening, this can’t be happening. **“Agent Wolowitz.”** I have to… I have to… **“Agent Wolowitz, need I remind you that you do not have a choice in this matter.”**_

_Yes I do._

**_“Wha—?”_ **

“Power down!” The TICC made a horrible screeching noise before it finally powered down. Chip’s whole body went limb and he fell to the floor. Panting, he glared at the knife and threw it across the stall. “I… I did it…” The panting turned into small giggle until Chip was rolling on the floor, laughing in relief.

Then he heard it.

**_“C….. ch…. chip…”_** Like a faint whisper. **_“Ch… chip…”_**

In a panic, Chip hollered, “Power down!” And then silence. But Chip could feel it still. The tiny, almost unnoticeable, buzzing at the very back of his skull. Concentrated into one miniscule spot. His TICC was still there, and while Chip may have stopped it temporarily, it would fight to come back.

He needed to get rid of it. He needed to deactivate it _once and for all_.

“I need Red Gush.” Chip realized. He scrambled to his feet, shoving the stall door open. As he made his way out of the bathroom, he felt himself stumble more than he normally would’ve, even if he was still a bit tipsy.

**_“C… chip… ch—”_ **

“Power down!”

And that’s how Chip left the bathroom, stumbling and shouting “Power down!”, all while thinking: _Gotta find Red Gush, gotta find Red Gush, gotta find Red Gush._

**_–In the 21 st Century–_ **

“Ticks? Aren’t they those little bugs from the woods that suck your blood and give you Lyme Disease?” Zack asked.

“No, no. I mean TICCs. Tiny Intel Core Computers.” Monty clarified.

“Oh,” the children chorused, “no, we’ve never heard of those.”

Monty knelt down to their eye level, pulling out a little device. He turned it so the children could see the screen. “Well, do you three recognize him?” On the screen was a picture of Victor Verliezer.

“Yeah, we recognize him.” Melissa scowled.

“We exposed him for the credit-hog he is!” Milo told Monty, a hint of pride in his voice.

“Then we’re more or less are the reason his company went out of business…” Zack rubbed the back of his neck.

Monty frowned. “Well, then, I guess I know why then…”

“Why what?” Milo asked.

“There’s no easy way to say this, so I guess I’ll just come out with it,” Monty inhaled, “Verliezer’s trying to get rid of you three as revenge.”

“Ok., when you say, ‘get rid of’, do you mean ‘get rid of you by locking you in a remote location’ or ‘get rid of… _get rid of_ ’?” Melissa asked.

Monty’s frown deepened. “The last one.” The children gasped and huddled together in fear. “Don’t worry! You three are safe, for now. In fact, I think you three might be able to stop him.”

The three friends exchanged looks. “How?”

“Verliezer hired a former L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. scientist named Aloyse Everheart Elizabeth Otto Wolfgang Hypatia Günther Galen Gary Cooper von Roddenstein, aka: Rodney. For a while, the two flew under the radar. Then, a couple weeks ago, an employ of Valentine Verliezer’s soda company was rushed to the emergency room. An employee that was very close with one of our operatives” Monty typed on the screen a few times as he continued to explain. “They created a device that allows a computer to take over the host body, giving whoever was in charge of the computer complete control. But something went wrong.”

“Wrong how?” Zack asked.

“I’m not sure, but I know the device changed. And it wasn’t a good change. Look,” Monty handed his device over to the children, “these are pictures and videos of that employee.” Melissa clicked on the first video and was shocked to find that, apart from a soda company employee being the main focus, it was identical to the one she took of Brick. The man on screen was writhing in pain, screaming at voices that no one else could hear, and he looked to be having a mental break down.

“What do Verliezer and this Rodney guy have to do with this?!” Melissa asked.

“Don’t you three get it, they created the TICC, but something changed.”

Milo swallowed. “Do… do you think Brick has something to do with the TICCs and Verliezer?”

“Maybe, I’m not to sure. I do know, however, that there are some signs and symptoms you can look for, sort of keep an eye out for anyone else who’s affected.”

“Like what?” Zack asked.

“First, the TICC will have been ingested by the victim along with Green Gush for activation. Next, the TICC will have connected to the brain—resulting in that, uh, _display_ —you see on the video…” The kids winced and clicked off the video. Clicking instead onto an image of arms with what looked like neon green tattooed lines up and down his arm. “Then, the victim experiences some type of change in personality, usually very drastic. After that, we get some more physical symptoms. Like green lines appearing on the skin, usually over veins. Finally, when the irises of the victim’s eyes change from their natural color to neon green, the TICC and its controller have complete and utter control over the victim.”

The three friends were shocked, to say the least. But. They were also worried about this Brick guy. Did he know what he was getting himself into when he got a TICC? Was he forced? They weren’t sure. “So, how we can help?”

“I need you three to get in contact with Brick, or someone close to him, and try and get him to deactivate his TICC.” Monty explained. “The less people we have affected by the TICC, the better.”

“I don’t know if we can do that.” Zack said. “We’re not exactly his favorite people.”

“Could you three at least try?” Monty implored. The three friends exchanged uncertain looks before glancing back down at the video of the man being dragged away in a straight-jacket. The friends nodded. “We’ll try our best.”

“Great! I knew I could count on you three.” Monty stood up, about to leave, but paused. “Oh, and a word of advice. You might want to do that soon-ish. That soda employee kind of went insane trying to get his TICC out his brain.” The three kids paled, before nodding there heads vigorously. “We’ll see what we can do.”

“That’s all we can do for now. Thanks again.” Monty smiled gratefully at the three children. “Oh, and one last thing, you three be careful. Verliezer is after you three after all.”

Milo smiled, “Don’t worry. We’ll be fine.”

**_–Meanwhile, with Savannah–_ **

From inside the auditorium, Savannah heard some kid belting out a song about being alone in a bathroom. She rolled her eyes at the drama of it all, but if she was being honest with herself, she felt as if she was in the same boat as the kid.

Brick had ditched her, Lotte wasn’t an upgrade of a partner, and she was the laughing stock of the Bureau. Savannah felt as if she was flying solo in life, and it sucked.

“Hey,” Savanna glanced up to see Lotte smiling pitifully at her, “this seat taken?” Savannah sighed but scooted over to let her new partner sit down. “Thanks.”

“Meh,” was Savannah’s reply. She looked over Lotte and raised a brow. “You look like hell.”

“I just had a bad migraine. I’m coming down from it now, though.”

“That’s nice,” Savannah said curtly. After a moment of silence, Lotte spoke up.

“Look, I wanted to apologize.” She said. “I know I’ve been kind of hard on you today…”

“ _Kind of_?” Savannah asked harshly.

“Ok, ok, harsh  is putting lightly. But, it’s just because… well, you remind me of myself from a few years ago.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. You start out Time Traveling thinking you can save the world and then a little down the way, you actually do kind of save the world.” Lotte smiled wistfully, as if recalling fond times. Then her expression turned bitter. “Then out of nowhere, someone close to you, someone you thought you could trust just utterly blindsides you and the next thing you know you’re downgraded to second class. A laughing stock! And there’s nothing you can do except watch from the sidelines as the one person you thought you could count on steals the one thing you wanted most in the world.”

Savannah frowned. “I get the feeling you’re speaking from experience.”

“I got screwed over big time,” Lotte confirmed, “and I don’t want to see that happen to you. But, I think I know something that can help.” The green-haired woman reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a small, gray, oblong pill and handed it to Savannah.

“What the hell is this?” Savannah asked.

“It’s called a TICC. A Tiny Intel Core Computer.” Lotte explained.

“Did you just hand me some weirdo drug?”

“No! No, it’s not a drug. It’s kind of like… a little helper.”

“… So it’s like a steroid?”

“It’s not a steroid either.” Lotte deadpanned. “Look, when I was in the same funk, I took a TICC and now look at me, I’m all better!” Savannah looked between Lotte and the TICC in her hand, unconvinced. Lotte sighed. “I’m not saying you have to take it, I’m just saying that if you do, it’ll be a big help… But if you do decide to take it, take it with Green Gush. Just trust me on that, kay?” The green haired stood up, saying that she was going to go close up the Pistachio Cart. Savannah nodded, staring at the pill in her hand, unsure of what to do.

**_–Meanwhile, in the year 2176, with Cavendish and Dakota–_ **

Cavendish had to admit, Dakota cleaned up rather well. The dress shirt and bolo tie looked ravishing on him. Their date night had gone wonderfully. First they had gone to see a play then Dakota took him out to a nice Chinese restaurant. And after much debating and insisting, Dakota had paid for the meal, although Cavendish convinced his partner to let him get the tip. Now they were just sipping wine in the restaurant, waiting for the waiter to come back with Dakota’s change.

“I had fun, Cavendish.” Dakota told him, reaching over and giving his hand a squeeze. Cavendish smiled and squeezed his hand back.

“As did I Dakota. I do hope we can do more things like this tomorrow.”

“Oh, definitely. Definitely!”

“But this time I’m picking up the check.” Dakota made a face and the two men shared a laugh. Suddenly, Cavendish’s phone started to ring. The older man furrowed his brow in confusion, reaching into his pocket to dig for his phone. When he pulled it out, his eyes widened in surprise. “It’s Milo.”

“Everything ok?” Dakota asked.

“We’ll find out.” Cavendish told him as he answered the phone. “Hello? Milo is everything ok?”

_“We need you and Dakota to come to the 21 st century as soon as you can.” _Milo told him. _“Melissa, Zack, and I could use some help.”_

“Is everything ok?” Cavendish repeated. “Are you alright, my boy?”

_“I’m fine but… It’s Brick.”_

“What about Brick?” Dakota raised a confused brow and Cavendish could only shrug.

_“He’s in trouble. Big trouble! Do you think you guys could come help us?”_ Cavendish frowned thoughtfully for a moment, then Dakota squeezed his hand comfortingly and then man smiled slightly.

“We’ll meet you three at your house tomorrow, alright?”

_“Great! See you then, and, thanks.”_

Cavendish smiled. “It’s no problem, Milo. See you then.” As Cavendish hung up his phone, Dakota raised a brow. “Everything ok?”

“Yes. We’re going to help Milo and his friends with a problem tomorrow.”

“What kind of problem?”

“Believe it or not, it has something to do with Brick.”

“Huh.” Dakota said. “I don’t believe it, but I am more than willing to hear the little rascals out.” Cavendish smiled at his partner, feeling incredibly lucky to have found a man like Dakota.

**_–In the 21 st Century–_ **

Savannah glanced down at the pill in her hand, frowning. She couldn’t believe she was about to do this. The Green Gush bottle fell to the bottom of the vending machine with a dull _clunk_. The first-class agent sighed, cracking open the cold bottle. “Here goes nothing.” She popped the TICC into her mouth and took a swallow of the Green Gush, nose wrinkling once the taste of the soda hit her tongue. After swallowing the TICC and some Green Gush, Savannah pulled a face. “God, that soda sucks!”

Then, out of nowhere, a sharp pain in her head left her falling to the floor, screaming in agony and in confusion at the robotic legion of voices that suddenly appeared in her head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you guys tell that I rushed to finish those last, like, five pages? Well, at least it’s done! Long car rides offer the perfect opportunity to finish products with little distractions.  
> Now, I’m back at school and the schedule’s a bit more challenging than last year and with the holidays coming up, I have no idea when I’ll get the next chapter updated. I will say that it will be sometime around New Year’s though. I plan on finishing this story soon. Especially since we only have about five chapters left.  
> Until then, hope you enjoyed this chapter and don’t forget, reviews give me life!


	9. Chip Set a Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After B.O.T.T. goes up in flames, Brick starts to have second thoughts about having a TICC.

**_–In the year 2176–_ **

Another beer was pressed into Brick’s hands, and he had no idea where this one came from either. All he knew was that Chip had disappeared to somewhere, looking a little green around the gills as he left, and he was now left sitting in next to the oh-so-giggly-kind-of-drunk that was Aiden and the while the somehow-more-of-a-grouch-than-usual-when-drunk that was Jonah had wandered off halfway through with a sour look on his face.

 According to their TICC’s, they were supposed to forge stronger bonds with Aiden and Jonah for… some reason. The TICC’s were being vague on the details, as usual, so the two men went in blind with vague instructions on what to do. Brick new he had to charm Aiden, but so far that wasn’t much of a challenge. The two men had gone out on dates before, and Brick always internally loathed himself for those dates. The first-class agent could tell that Aiden really liked him, and Brick felt dirty for leading him on.  But what was he supposed to do? Go against his TICC?

Yeah, not likely.

Aiden, for the first time since alcohol entered his system, stopped giggling. “Where’d Chip go?” He slurred.

Brick glanced around, suddenly aware that his companion had been gone for a long time. “Good question…”

“He didn’t really look that good.” Aiden mumbled, downing another shot. “Should one of us go look for him?”

“I don’t know if that’s a good id—”

**_“Yes, let’s go look for him.”_ **

“Yes, let’s go look for him.” Brick parroted back.

**_“You go check the bathrooms and lounge, I’ll check the dance floor and the back alley.”_ **

“You go check the bathrooms and lounge, I’ll check the dance floor and the back alley.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Aiden smiled, “we’ll meet back here when we find him.” The 2nd class agent slid off the barstool and made his way towards the lounge, stumbling a bit on his way there. Brick downed the rest of his shot before heading towards the dance floor. Only for the TICC to turn him towards the exit near the back of the club.

“Uh, what’re we doing?”

**_“Going to the back alley.”_ **

“Is that where Chip is?”

**_“I have no idea.”_ **

“How do _you_ of all things not know where he is?” Brick asked, perplexed. “You’re literally a super computer.”

**_“That’s not important right now.”_** The TICC told him quickly.

“Is everything ok? Is Chip’s TICC malfunctioning or something?”

**_“TICC’s do not malfunction!”_ **

“Ok, shit, sorry I asked.”

**_“As you should be. Now, if you’ll please just follow my lead.”_** Brick shrugged it off. How could his situation possibly get any worse? Just as he approached the exit door, Brick passed a girl handing out drinks on a tray and covertly snagged a large glass of beer off the tray.

He felt more inclined to drink, as of late. He was sure it was nothing to worry about.

Brick was one-third of the way through his beer when the TICC led him to the back alley. The first-class agent scanned the area; a dim glow from a flickering street lamp at the alley’s entrance, a rusty looking dumpster covered in some mold and what Brick hoped was just dried ketchup, and a few boxes and trashcans scattered around. He kind of felt like he was in some C-List Mafia movie. And, apparently, he now had a co-star.

Jonah was slumped against the side of the dumpster, the beer bottle in his hand matching the ones scattered at his feet. Brick wrinkled his nose, the man looked like a mess. “How long has he been out here?” He asked, taking a sip of his beer.

**_“I’m assuming forty-five minutes; my calculations could be off.”’_ **

“Could be off? Are you doing ok?”

**_“It might help if you lay off the beer, I am in your brain, remember?”_ **

“Last one, I swear.” Brick assured his TICC, taking a long, slow sip of his beer.

**_“Really?”_ **

“Hey, I need all the alcohol in my system I can get if you’re going to make me talk to the trash over there.”

**_“Who handed you the salt?”_ **

“What am I even doing out here again?”

The sound of a bottle shattering drew Brick’s attention back to Jonah, who seemed pretty upset that he wasn’t able to hold onto his beer bottle. However, the man just reached behind him and pulled out another beer bottle. **_“Let’s just say that, in light of recent developments with Agent Wolowitz,”_** the TICC buzzed, **_“we need to acquire some new leads…”_**

“Ok… what the hell does that mean?”

**_“It means get the hell over there and schmooze him, Zuojo.”_** Brick furrowed his brow.

“What did you just call me?”

**_“I called you a Zuojo, like the Zuojo you are!”_ **

Brick blinked in confusion. “Okay… whatever you say, boss.”

**_“And don’t you forget it.”_** The TICC told him, seemingly oblivious to it’s odd word choice. Brick approached the heavily intoxicated man, kind of wary. Jonah was normally a rational man, if not slightly aggressive, so there was no telling what he would be like drunk. Brick was just praying that he wasn’t the “Cut your face cause you looked at him funny” kind of drunk.

“You’ve been out here a long time.” Brick observed as he approached Jonah, testing the waters.

“ _Wash it to you_ ,” Jonah slurred, “ya… sonofabitching… _bitch_.” Brick raised his brow.

“Mind if I sit here?” He gestured to the spot next to him on the crate.

“Yes. B-but you can sit here if you wans to. Don think it means I like ya though… cause I don.” Jonah then proceeded to down the entire bottle of beer in his hand before dropping it to the ground and reaching behind him to pull out another bottle.

**_“I mean, he’s not throwing anything at you.”_** His TICC pointed out.

Brick sat down on the crate next to Jonah, cautiously stepping over the broken glass at there feet and making sure to put a good enough distant between them. He might not be throwing things at his head now, but Brick had the feeling that could change if he wasn’t careful.

The first-class agent glanced behind him to see two six pack cases of beer sitting on the ground behind the crate. Four were missing. “Uh, aren’t you worried about alcohol poisoning?”

“Pleash, I’m not ivan drunk!” Jonah gestured wildly with his arms, making the man wobble a bit. Brick grasped the man’s shoulders to help steady him. “Fok, maybe I’m _kiindaa_ tissy… but not drunk!”

“Yeah, you’re stone cold sober.” Brick said, finishing off the last of his beer. Even if he promised his TICC it would be his last one, he _really_ needed that drink to deal with drunk-Jonah. So, he reached behind him and took one of the beers from the pack.

**_“Did I say you could have another one?”_ **

“Oh lighten up, will you?” Brick told his TICC.

“You lightoen up!” Jonah snapped. “Bisch…”

**_“I am already experiencing some difficulties as it is. Put down the beer, or we might have some performance issues.”_ **

“Fine.” Brick took a long, _long_ sip of the beer and then set it on the ground, only for Jonah to inadvertently kick it over. “Now what?”

**_“Look at Jonah and ask him what’s wrong.”_ **

Brick did as he was instructed. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

“Wouldn’t y-you like to knoww?” Jonah slurred defensively. Brick gave a tight-lipped smile, _Great suggestion_ , he thought.

**_“Ask again, Zuojo.”_** Brick rolled his eyes but laid a hand on Jonah’s shoulders, hoping that it was convincing enough to be comforting. “No, really, what’s wrong? You’ve been acting strange all night.”

Jonah stilled. For a moment, Brick thought he fell asleep, but then the man slowly tilted his beer bottle over his mouth before angrily slamming it against the ground. Brick was lucky a shard didn’t get stuck on him. “Wats tha guys deal anywey?!” Jonah fumed. “He just… shows up and starts speaking… words and you eat it up like is cake or somethin!”

“Look I’m sure that he… wait, who are you talking about, here?”

“He jus… He’s not goo enough for you! An what bout every… everythin we shared, huh?” Jonah slurred, glaring up at Brick.

“Um…” _Got any idea what’s happening here?_

**_“I’m getting the mtorkkl he yqtonz that you are kyrk ktuksuy”_** Brick blinked in confusion.

“Is that Russian or something?”

“You tout I was rushing thinssss?” Jonah slurred. “Why didn’t you say so?” _This is the dumbest conversation I have ever had._ “L-look, I hear wat your saying but… I jus really wanna do this an get it out of my sistem…” Jonah placed his hand on Brick’s thigh. The first-class agent eye’s widened in shock and slight fear as he stared at the _hand on his thigh_.

“What—?”

“Aiden jus-just truss me on thisss…” Jonah started to lean in closer.

Oh. Oh! Oh no…

Jonah thought Brick was Aiden. Jonah. Thought Brick… was Aiden.

This explained a lot actually. Jonah’s defensive and protectiveness of Aiden, his sudden hostile mood when Brick appeared on scene, intending to woo Aiden, and his outright belligerent behavior towards Brick whenever he saw the first-class agent with the pink-haired man.

Jonah was jealous of Brick for getting all of Aiden’s affections! And in his drunken stupor confused Brick for him (the man must be hammered beyond belief) and was going to… to…

_Oh fuck me gently with a chainsaw! TICC what the hell?_

**_“It’s alright, Brick. Let’s just see where this will lead…”_ **

_Are you crazy?!_ “Jonah, stop! You can’t—we can’t…” Brick tried to stand up, to shove Jonah away, to do something, but he couldn’t move his arms or legs. “I can’t move.”

**_“You’re welcome.”_ **

Brick’s eyes widened, panicked. _No, no, no, no, no this isn’t what I want!_

**_“It’s the only way to get what you want! Don’t be such a zuojo, Brick.”_ **

“What does that even mean?!” Brick tried once again to get his body to move, to regain control, to do something, _anything_ , so he could push Jonah away. It did no good. Jonah was still moving closer, lips puckered, and Brick couldn’t move any of his muscles. The buzzing behind his eyes letting him know that the TICC was still firmly in control.

**_“It mean…_ ** **WARNING. MTOTXGW _. Zuuhxk Motzgzyoto. Runuirg ul Tuozvsaytuixkbu: Zxuvkx Yazgzy. Kxargol Yskzyey.”_**

“What?”

**_“Shutting down…”_** Just like that, Brick had control of his body again. The buzzing behind his eyes, and the general buzzing that had inhabited his brain as of late, was gone and, unprepared for his sudden renewed control over his muscles, Brick flopped onto his back on the ground. Unfortunately, Jonah—to drunk to really understand what was going on—had followed him down to the ground as well. Landing on top of the first-class agent in a rather _compromising position_.

Double unfortunately, the door to the alley way from the bar swung open at just that moment. “Hey Brick,” Aiden called out into the night, “I haven’t been able to find Chip. Have you had any luck out here…” The Pink-Haired man stood still, his mouth forming a tiny ‘o’ as he took in the sight before him. His partner lying on top of his crush, trying to kiss him.

The door to the bar slammed shut beside him.

“ _What the hell is going on here_?!” Aiden shouted.

“A-Aiden, I know this looks bad!” Brick started.

“Aiden?” Jonah mumbled, confused, glancing between said man and Brick.

“I can explain!” Brick postulated this remark by roughly shoving Jonah off of him. Upon realizing that he could control his limbs again, he smiled. “Oh, thank God, they work again!”

“You… You’re not…?” Jonah mumbled. The man blinked up at the enraged Pink-Haired man, sobering up just a bit. “Wait, Aiden? How loong have you been—?”

“I-I guess I just don’t get it. I mean, I could probably expect this from Brick, he’s kind of a prick as is—”

“Ok, I guess I kinda had that one coming but that was still a little uncalled for—”

“—but Jonah I… I mean I get that you’ve been mad at me for awhile now. I mean I don’t get why because you never talk to me but to get back you go and… _seduce_ my guy?! I thought we were friends how could you!?” Aiden looked close to tears at this point. As if Brick couldn’t feel any worse about all of this then he already did.

Jonah quickly stood up, rocking back and forth slightly do to his state of mind. “Aiden, it’s not what it looks like! I was drunk—”

“And that’s supposed to make all of this better?” Aiden snarled, bowing his head a little and taking a few shaky breaths. He leveled the two men with one last venom filled glare. “Have a fun _fucking_ time in hell, you two sons of two bitches!” He yanked open the bar door, not even sparing the two men in the alley one last glance as he stormed away.

Jonah stared at the door, Brick could see the man’s heartbreak etched on his face. Another knot on the ever-growing rope of guilt that was his conscious. Jonah glanced at his hands and then snarled at Brick. “Why did you do that?!”

“Do what?”

“I don’t know! Hurt him, come on to me—”

“You tried to come on to me!”

“I was drunk! Why didn’t you stop me or at least try?”

“Because …” Suddenly the explanation of ‘My super-controlling, super-computer guidance counselor took control of my limbs and wouldn’t let me move’ sounded a little ridiculous. Now that Brick thought about it, the whole situation with the TICC sounded ridiculous. The lying, the underhanded gossip, the whole thing was utterly ridiculous.

Jonah scoffed, mumbling one last “Prick,” before running off. Calling after Aiden to wait, to hold on, to just listen to him for a second, please!

Brick picked himself up off the ground and sat back down on the crate. He thought back about everything that he has done since getting the TICC. Abandoning Savannah, breaking up a friendship and possibly ruining any chances for a relationship to grow, breaking numerous rules and protocols of the Bureau and for what? Just to have a chance with Vinnie Dakota?

How could he have let it get this far? Was any of this really worth it?

The bar door opened once again, and a man shakily dropped onto his hands and knees on the ground. Brick glanced up and frowned. “Well look who _finally_ decided to show up!” Chip looked like a mess. He was shaking, he was barley standing straight, and he kept mumbling something to himself, but Brick couldn’t quite make it out from where he was. “Where the hell have you been anyway? And what’s wrong with you, how much did you have to drink?”

Chip stood up shakily, turning to glance at Brick. “Brick!... Power down!... Buddy, pal, amigo… Power down!... How’s it going?” The curly-haired man walked over towards the first-class agent. Well, attempted to walk. It was more half-walk, half-limp. Not to mention, he swayed back and forth an awful lot. Not in the way a drunkard would, but more in the way a child who is just learning to walk would.

It unnerved Brick to say the least.

Chip practically flung himself onto the spot next to Brick. His smile was odd to. Like he was trying to appear all relaxed and confident, but a definite panic edge was seeping through. “Man, it is such a good night? Isn’t it a—power down!—good night?”

“Hardly, everything with Aiden and Jonah went to shit! Where were you? I could’ve used you and your TICC as some back up!”

“Pfft, we don’t need our TICC’s, Brick.” The first-class agent stared in confusion at the very man who had sold him on the idea of TICCs not to long ago, now saying they didn’t need them. “But you know what you do need? Power down!”

“Are you ok, Chip?” Brick asked. “Really, _are you ok_?” Brick studied the man further and noticed something. While for as long as he’d known Chip, the man always had neon green eyes, not unlike the color of Green Gush. Now, however, something was different. While one eye stayed the same green color, the other seemed to be… changing. Blinking back and fourth between neon green and light brown. “Is something wrong with your TICC?”

“What, no? Nothing’s wrong—Power down!—what would give you that idea?—Power down!”

“…Let’s call it a hunch.”

“Say I do have a problem?—Power down! You wanna know what would help me out?—Power down!—Like, a lot?” Chip’s one green eyes twitched.

“Uh… what?”

**_“Systems back online.”_** Brick’s TICC announced. **_“Apologies Brick, but I did warn you to avoid all the alcohol. So, what’d I miss?”_**

“I could really use a Red Gush right now.” Chip told him.

**_“What did he say?”_** The TICC asked, sounding panicked.

“Red Gush?” Brick questioned. “Wasn’t that drink discontinued back in the—whoa!”

**_”_** **WARNING! WARNING! Pending Danger to Host Body; Seek out Shelter for the next _13 Hours.”_** A buzzing behind his eyes let Brick know that once again, he was no longer in control of his limbs. He stood up stiffly, shoving Chip to the ground as he did so, and began to run away.

“What the hell is going on?”

**_“There is a high probability for danger in this area for you at this given moment. I’m taking you back to your apartment for your own safety and self-preservation.”_ **

“Brick—Power down!—wait!” Chip called out, unable to keep up with Brick as the first-class agent sprinted away.

“What about Chip?”

**_“He won’t be a concern of yours for much longer.”_** The TICC replied, turning him in the direction of his apartment. Brick frowned, and while he couldn’t do much, he was able to glance back at the alley, casting a helpless look towards it as Chip continued to scream, growing more desperate and scared as he went on.

“Brick don’t listen to her—power down!—she’s no good Brick! You’ll end up like me if you’re not careful—Power down! You need—Power down!—Red Gush, Brick! Power down!! _You need Red Gush_! _I need Red Gush!_ Power down! Power down! Power down power down power down power down!”

**_–Meanwhile, in the 21 st Century–_ **

Cavendish, Dakota, Lotte, and Savannah found the children huddled behind some trash cans on the curb near a run-down motel. They seemed to be talking amongst themselves and gesturing to a door.

“What’re we doing here again?” Savannah asked.

“The kids said they were in trouble and needed our help.” Cavendish explained.

“An’ then we called ya two for back-up in case of a Murphy’s Law incident.” Dakota told them.

“What does Murphy’s Law have to do with any of this?” Savannah questioned.

Cavendish raised a brow at Lotte. “She’s been guarding pistachios with you for a week and a half now and she hasn’t noticed a single Murphy’s Law incident?”

“Half of it’s bad timing, the other half is I think it’s been kind of slow.” Lotte shrugged. The four agents crouched down lower to the ground and made their way to the children. Melissa smiled in greeting, “Nice of you to join us.”

“How long have you guys been sitting out here?” Lotte asked, crouching down by Milo.

“Long enough for a bunch of magpies to swarm Milo twice and that dumpster over there,” Zack pointed to a dumpster across the street, which looked burned, “to catch fire.”

“How does any of that even happen?” Savannah asked.

“Milo’s kinda a Murphy’s Law attractor-inator or somethin’, I dunno.” Dakota narrowed his eyes at the door the kids were staring at. “Soo… what’re we doin’ here exactly?”

“That thing that happened to Brick a few weeks ago? When he just sort of… y’know freaked out?” Melissa asked. “Well, we have on good authority that what caused him to freak out is behind that door.”

“Behind _that_ door there?” Lotte asked, almost sounding nervous.

“Yep!” Milo replied, not noticing his green-haired companion’s sudden nervousness. “In fact, we know the name of what caused it.”

“Really? What is it?” Cavendish inquired.

“They’re called TICCs!” Melissa told them. Savannah’s eyes widened, and she glanced over to Lotte, who was sheet white. Under her trademark sunglasses, Savannah noticed an eye twitching. “It stands for something like Tiny Computers Inside Your Head or whatever, I forget exactly.”

“They take over a host and turn them into a zombie! Like a robotized zombie.” Zack explained further.

“And they’re activated using Green Gush!” Milo added before furrowing his brows. “Hey, is anybody starting to see certain parallels between the current events of our lives and our school play?”

Cavendish and Dakota merely raised a brow at Milo’s question. Before they could ask him to clarify, Lotte began to laugh. And laugh, and laugh, and laugh. The three children were glaring at her, offended by her clear disbelieve, and Cavendish and Dakota were just simply shocked that she was being so rude to the kids. Savannah was simply staring at the door with a far-off look in her eyes. Lotte wiped the tears from her eyes. “C’mon guys, you have to admit this all sounds kind of _yuaraiojox_ …” The kids, Cavendish, and Dakota stared at her in confusion. “Like, some evil person behind that door—”

“Actually its _persons_ … y’know, plural.”

“Wouldn’t it be _people_ then?”

“—is using some bug to turn others—”

“Not a bug, a computer!”

“I mean, in this case, kind of the same difference?”

“—into robot zombies? I’m sorry, but that sounds like something out of a cheap musical or a really _tuoziol-tgl jgh_.” Lotte’s smile faltered a bit upon noticing (most) of her companion’s odd looks. “W-what? What is it?”

“What language are you speaking just now?” Cavendish asked.

“What do you mean?”

“You keep saying certain words like ya…yue… yu yu haku… _other words_ that kinda sound like a different language.” Milo pointed out.

“Like ‘s it Russian or somethin’?” Dakota asked. “Cause it sounds Russian to me.”

“I would have said Romanian.” Melissa said.

Lotte smiled nervously. “ _Whaat_? No! You guys are just being a bunch of silly _zuojos_ like always…”

“Seriously, though, it sounds kinda Russian t’ me—”

A loud, ear-piercing scream of sheer pain and terror cut through the air and through Dakota’s next remark. Savannah was on her feet in an instant, eyes narrowing at the door. With a sick sense of dread, the others realized the scream was coming from behind the door the kids had been observing.

“Um, what do we do now?” Zack asked, unsure of how to proceed. On one hand, he wanted to help whoever was clearly in a lot of pain. On the other, he (kind of) knew what was behind that door and he knew it wasn’t good.

 “What do you think?” Savannah asked. However as she was about to take a step forward, she winced and held her head in her hands, looking to be in some pain.

“Are you alright?” Cavendish asked her.

“I… My head hurts…” Savannah said through gritted teeth. Cavendish and Dakota exchanged glances while Lotte was casting wary looks between Savannah and the door. Melissa rolled her eyes. “Oh for the love of—Milo, go knock on the door!”

“Knock on the door?”

“Maybe Murphy’s Law will kick in and do…”

Milo raised a brow. “Do what exactly?”

“I don’t know! Just go knock on the door!” Milo shrugged and cautiously approached the door. Lotte, for whatever reason, was at his side the moment he stepped out around the trash cans. “In case something _really_ bad happens.” was her only explanation. Milo noticed, however, how anxious Lotte was. It seemed that whatever was behind that door was really important to her. And he had no idea why.

Upon approaching the door, with Lotte standing behind him, her hands on his shoulders, Milo raised his hand. The youth was only able to knock one time before the wood door began to crack, like a windshield after being hit with a rock. With a dull yet impressive _Snap!_ the door broke into splinters and shattered to the ground, the door knob, lock, and hinges clattering to the ground beside Milo’s feet, allowing the youth and the time traveler access to the room.

Milo’s face contorted in a silent scream of terror as Lotte shoved the boy behind her in an attempt to block Milo from the sights of the room. The other children made to come follow there friend, but a gesture from Lotte and the other agents held them back, with Cavendish going up to assist Lotte.

On the floor of the motel room lay the man Milo recognized from Monty’s pictures as Rodney. He was out cold, Milo knew that much, but his entire body was twitching. His mouth hung open with a green, liquidy-substance pouring out. The skin that Milo could see was utterly covered in bright, neon green lines that, on first glance, looked like random tattoos. But, upon closer inspection from behind Lotte—who insisted that Milo look away—Milo realized that the green lines were actually the blood veins, made clear and visible.

The screaming, Milo realized with dread, was coming from Victor Verliezer. The man himself was on his knees beside Rodney, but he wasn’t screaming out of concern. No, he was screaming in pain. His fists to his head, pulling at his hair, and some skin ( _Green-veined skin,_ Milo noticed) and screaming to Get out get out get outta my head! Tears running down his face, Victor looked up at him and Lotte. The former tech-giant’s eyes locked on Lotte and his screams grew louder. With whatever strength he had he backed away, like a wounded animal. “No, stop, please, just get out! Get out!”

Lotte glanced up at Cavendish and the two exchanged tense nods. Cavendish lead Milo back to his friend while Lotte stepped inside the apartment. “What’s going on in there?” Savannah asked.

Cavendish frowned. “Children, stay out here while we go in and… uh, I suppose, subdue Verliezer?” The uncertainty in Cavendish’s voice, while understandable, did nothing to pacify the children’s growing nerves. Dakota’s brow furrowed, he glanced up at Lotte, who was trying to calm down Verliezer, or at least, that what it looked like to him.

Dakota gave Zack a tiny nudge, with a look that said, ‘Stay here’ and Savannah did the same for Melissa. “You three stay here. Don’t come in until we—” Savannah started, until she caught the look Cavendish was giving her. “Um… just wait out here.”

“Should… Should we call Monty and let him know what’s going on?” Milo asked, quietly.

_“Please just get out! Get out get out get—oof!”_ All six looked towards the door and saw Lotte’s silhouette looming over an unconscious body. Dakota frowned. “Yeah, that’s probably a good idea…”

Melissa nodded and pulled out her cellphone as the three time-travelers headed towards the motel room. Zack put a comforting arm around Milo’s shoulder, the boy leaned his head on his friend’s shoulder. “Before he picks up,” Melissa said, putting the phone to her ear, “how bad was it?”

“It was… _bad_.” Milo said. Zack’s frown deepened. Melissa nodded.

“Oh, hey, Monty? It’s Melissa, from the school? Um, listen, we decided to try and stop Verliezer ourselves, kinda nip the situation in the bud? But, um, well… you might wanna get over here.” A pause. “Yeah, I guess it’s pretty bad.” Another pause, Melissa glanced between her friends and the motel room door. “Yeah, ok, we’ll be here.” She hung up. “Monty and some other agents are coming over, they’ll be here in ten minutes.”

“That’s good, at least.” Zack said. Milo glanced back at the door, and saw Cavendish and Dakota hovering over Rodney’s unconscious body, seemingly unsure of how to help him.

**_–Meanwhile, with Lotte–_ **

“Please just get out! Get out get out get—oof!” Verliezer crumpled to the ground once Lotte’s elbow connected with his face. Kicking his unconscious body away, the green-haired girl wrinkled her nose. She glanced around the dingy room, at all the science equipment, and sighed.

“Well, that could’ve gone better.” The ever-constant humming and buzzing in her head seemed to agree, it always agreed with her. “First Chip, now this.” Lotte approached a table with a small tablet press on it, clearly of Rodney’s design. Next to it was a small, plastic container of small, gray, oblong pills. At least a couple hundred. “Huh, guess you weren’t completely _iozknzgv_ after all.”

“Sweet tap-dancing Christ, what happened in here?” Savannah’s voice startled Lotte out of her train of thought.

“I don’t know, but whatever it was,” Lotte stealthily moved her body to cover up the container of pills, “I bet it had something to do with this machine here.”

As Dakota approached the table, the green-haired agent quickly tucked the container behind her back and out of sight from Cavendish and Savannah. Dakota inspected the machine. “I’m probably not the expert here, but I think this machine was used recently.” The younger man glanced down at the unconscious body of Victor and gave Lotte an unamused look. “Do I even wanna to know?”

“He was hysterical, it was either knock him out or deal with it the hard way.”

“Right…” Cavendish trailed off, not really believing what Lotte was saying. “So, now what do we do?”

“Well, the kids have probably called there one friend, Monty,” Lotte frowned at that, “and he’ll probably be here soon.”

“We should probably subdue and contain these two here,” Lotte nodded towards the unmoving bodies on the floor.

“Subdue and contain? Lotte, they’re out cold!” Savannah pointed out.

“For now. And let’s face it, with Murphy’s Law homing beacon right outside, it probably would be a good idea to make sure they can’t get very far if they do wake up shortly.” The other three agents exchanged uncertain looks before Savannah sighed.

“Cavendish, Dakota, you get egghead over there and put him on the bed.” Savannah rolled her eyes. “I’ll get Verliezer and then, I don’t know, we’ll tie them to the bed with rope or something?”

“Playin’ it by ear?”

“Completely.”

As Savannah bent down and grabbed Verliezer by his shoulders, and Cavendish and Dakota hovered uncertainly over Rodney’s body, Lotte smiled. “Maybe we can use spare towels or something as a makeshift handcuff?”

“Sure, why not?”

“Great,” turning towards the bathroom, making sure to keep the container of pills out of sight, Lotte’s smile turned to a smirk, “I’ll go grab some!” As the second-class agent stepped into the bathroom, she spared one more glance towards her companions, to see if they were looking her way. Seeing they weren’t, Lotte tucked the container of pills into her jacket. No one was the wiser.

That was when all there communicators went off. A flashing red screen portraying the message: _“Red Alert! All Agents report to secondary location as soon as possible”_

**_–A little later, at Play Rehearsal–_ **

Milo and Zack gave Melissa one last thumbs-up sign for encouragement as the music started and the lights shown down on her. As this was the last weekend before the show, today was the day to really work on all the musical numbers. Mr. Draco had decided to work on all the big group numbers first and slowly work down to the solo numbers.

Being one of the leads, Milo was resigned to be there for the rest of the day. Which Mr. Draco was actually grateful for, as it would be easier for them to prepare for the general Murphy’s Law Incidents that could happen.

After powering through both the original and reprise of More than Survive and Be More Chill, The Play, and Upgrade having to deal with slippery floors, the lights that dangled precariously over student’s heads, a sudden inability for the microphones to work, and a stampede of Chihuahuas dressed as wizards gave the students a sense of cautious confidence.

Except for Melissa, who was dealing with all the expected stage jitters.

Mr. Draco had instructed the cast to start rehearsing _The Smartphone Hour_ and that was, in a sense, Melissa’s big numbers, being the show’s resident Jenna Roland and all. Milo and Zack had assured Melissa—who had been rehearsing both in and out of rehearsal for this number—that she would be great. And Milo felt confident that since he wasn’t on stage for this number (as opposed to other numbers) there would be significantly less Murphy’s Law related problems.

The curtain opened, and Melissa began to sing while furiously typing on her phone screen. _”~O-M-G, Chloe, answer me! Whoa, wait until I tell you what I heard! It’s to messed up to type, this news is ripe; Call back. I’ll yell you every word!~”_

A light shown down on the opposite side of the stage as Lydia appeared on stage. “Jenna Roland calling? Ugh, Jenna Roland calling. Jenna Roland calling… Hey!”

“Ohmygod-ohmygod—ok, so!” Melissa stepped forward slightly. _“~At the end of last night’s party, very end of last night’s party, did you see Rich?~”_

“Oh, I saw Rich.”

_“~So he’s behaving hazy like a tweakin’ junky, flailing crazy like a freakin’ monkey!~”_

_“~He’s gotta learn how to handle his high, shouldn’t drink so much for a small guy~”_

“Right, but he wasn’t drunk.”

“The heck you sayin’, Jenna…”

“No, he wasn’t drunk!” Melissa turned to Lydia to give her an assured look.

Lydia gave Melissa a surprised look. “The heck you sayin’, Jenna?”

_“~No! Because I heard from Dustin Kropp, that Rich had barely touched a drop! So you can’t blame the things he did on alcohol~”_ Melissa struck a dramatic pose. _“~It’s just so terrible that I don’t want to relive it all!~”_ Melissa straightened up a little, smirking almost teasingly towards Lydia. “But do you want me to tell you?”

“Spit it out! Spit it out!”

“You really want me to tell you?”

“ _Spit it out! Spit it out!_ ”

_“~I’ll tell you cause you are my closest friend!~”_

“No, I’m not.”

“Yeah, I know.” Melissa stepped forward on the stage, smack dab in the center. Milo and Zack smiled encouragingly to her and that’s when Milo noticed Principal Milder talking to Mr. Draco, and the two seemed really happy about something. _“~But here’s what happened at the party’s end: Rich set a fire and he burned down the house!~”_

Milo nudge Zack and directed his friends attention towards the sight. “Do you think they’re talking about the play?”

“Probably.” Zack narrowed his eyes. “Wait, whose that guy standing near the doors?” Milo glanced over and saw a man in a pea green dress shirt and black shoes standing near the auditorium entrance doors. He held a folder with the trademark G and C combo that everyone associated with the Gush Co. brand.

 Despite the low lighting in the auditorium itself (Murphy’s Law causing a few lightbulbs to explode), Milo was able to make out the glow of his green eyes. His neon green eyes!

_“~Whoa! Rich set a fire and he burned down the house!~”_

“Neon green eyes!” Milo whispered to Zack, frightened. Zack’s eyes widened.

“You don’t think Verliezer or that Rodney guy sent him do you? To finish the job?” After securing Verliezer and Rodney, the time travel agents had gotten a red alert on there communicators. Saying that, with no exceptions, all agents were to report to the mandatory second location in 2176 as soon as possible. While Savannah and Lotte were ready to go then and there, Cavendish and Dakota made them all hang back until Monty and the other O.W.C.A agents showed up, so that the kids would be safe.

Thankfully, Monty and a bunch of trucks had pulled up not five minutes later. Cavendish and Dakota made each kid promise to call or text them if they needed additional help before Lotte and Savannah had all but dragged them into their own time vehicle.          

_“~I thought I was dreaming, everybody was screaming.~”_

After Monty had arrived and saw inside the motel room, he too forbid the younger children from entering. Taking one breath to reprimand them from coming here in the first place, “I wanted your _help_ in stopping them, not for you three to come here all by yourselves.” Even if Milo had pointed out that they called back-up. Then Monty had thanked the children for there bravery and for helping to bring them in. Again, Milo pointed out that it was the time travelers who had done all the real work. Monty had asked if the children could get the agents back in town for questioning, and they said they would try.

Then he got a panda in a fedora to drive the kids to rehearsal. An actual Panda, in a fedora. It was fun.

_“~When Rich set a fire and he burned down the house!~”_

Milo still couldn’t get the image of Verliezer on his knees, screaming and begging for something Milo couldn’t see to leave him alone. Or Rodney lying on the ground, unmoving and covered in green lines.

“Maybe…” Milo said, in response to Zack’s question.

_“~When Rich set a fire and he burned down the house!~”_

“Let’s try and get a closer look at this guy.” Zack suggested. Milo nodded and the two turned and headed for the stage door.

**_–Meanwhile, in the year 2176–_ **

The official rendezvous point for any Red Alert situation was a warehouse a block away from B.O.T.T.  Headquarters. No one in the agency was ever really sure who owned the warehouse and why they allowed for a time travel agency to use it for emergencies, what with the fluctuating time lines and all. Sometimes it was owned by a well-know politician who was trying to make themselves likeable to the public for allowing an agency to use it. Other times a wealthy family with connection to the agency had given it generously to the agency, or it was something the agency itself had bought.

Either way, B.O.T.T. had a warehouse now to use for emergencies.

Specifically, emergencies that were not something that even a time travel agency could prevent. No matter how many agents they sent back to try.

Suffice to say; Cavendish, Dakota, Lotte, and Savannah were all worried about why they—and every other agent—had been called back. After pulling into the parking lot, they all started to get an idea of why they were called back.

Between the agents who looked like they had been pulled straight from an inferno to the lingering smell of smoke, the answer was obvious. A fire. But who set it? And why would they? Were they targeting a specific agent or was it just an attack on B.O.T.T. in general? Lotte pulled the lemon of a time machine near the wall, it was crooked, and the others could barely get out of the car because of the lack of space, but they didn’t care. They had questions, and they had a good idea on who could give them answers.

“Mr. Block!” Savannah called, spotting her boss. The man in question turned and sighed in relief upon seeing them. “What happened?”

“And why does everyone smell like a barbecue gone wrong?” Dakota added.

“Haven’t you figured it out?” Block asked them. “An agent set B.O.T.T. HQ on fire!”

“What?!” Cavendish, Dakota, and Savannah exclaimed.

“Bummer,” Lotte frowned. Block ignored her.

“Reports came in that a suspicious figure was stumbling down the street in the early morning and then a few hours later, the board room was up in flames!”

“How could this have happened?” Cavendish asked. “Agent or no agent, this arson would’ve been caught by security, right?”

“And if not security, wouldn’t graveyard shift have saw them?” Savannah added.

“Or what about the emergency safeguards? Or at least a time traveler with nothin’ to do?” Dakota added.

“Who was this ass-clown who set the building on fire anyway?” The head of the agency and the other three agents gave the green-haired girl a look for her comment. “What? Oh, the ‘ass-clown’ thing? C’mon, you guys know I could come up with something worse like that.” Lotte snapped her fingers to emphasize her point.

“I’m not sure, but whoever did it had almost encyclopedic knowledge of how the Bureau works. Security shifts, database recognition hacks, and structural spots that would be most damaged by a fire.” Block shook his head, still not quite wrapping his head around the whole ordeal.

“Excuse me, sir,” Gretchen approached the group, holding out a phone to Mr. Block, “White House is on line one, they want a statement on what happened.”

“Ugh! Can’t you stall a bit longer, I’m still trying to make sure all the agents got back ok.”

“I’m sorry, sir. But they need some kind of statement for the time being.” Block pinched his brow. He turned to Savannah.

“See if you can’t figure out who did this, would you?”

“Of course, sir.”

Block snatched the phone from Gretchen, before storming away, muttering to whoever was on the other end about how they could’ve given him a little longer than an hour to figure things out. Gretchen crossed her arms and sneered. “A ‘thank you’ would’ve been appreciated.” Then she reluctantly followed after him.

The four time-agents raised a brow before huddling together. “Ok, let’s think about what we know of the situation.” Cavendish suggested.

“Right!” Lotte agreed. “Ok, someone burned down HQ. What else?”

Dakota stroked his chin in thought. “Block did say it was early in the morning. Maybe it was some drunk who got lucky?”

“I don’t believe so. No drunk would be able to just stumble in and burn an entire agency’s head quarters to the ground. At least not without getting caught.” Cavendish said.

“But they weren’t caught.” Dakota pointed out. “At least, not by the agency.”

“And they also knew _where_ to lite the fire.” Savannah mused.

“That’s right! This arson knew when security shifts were, when they would end and when there breaks were.”

“And they knew how to get pass the more important security checks.” Dakota scratched his head. “It’s like they had encyclopedic knowledge of the entire agency and how it works.”

“Encyclopedic knowledge?” Savannah, Cavendish, and Dakota exchanged glances and then glanced at Lotte, who glared at her companions.

“Oh fuck you guys! I didn’t do it.” Lotte crossed her arms defensively.

“We know, we know, you were with us the entire time.” Even when he was saying it, Cavendish knew that was a flimsy excuse. An unspoken perk of being a time-traveler, you could leave and go to another time period and then return without being noticed. And Lotte’s dislike of the Bureau, and Mr. Block, were well known. And the woman did seem to have encyclopedic knowledge of most things.

“It’s just that, well, lately…” Savannah trailed off, and Dakota fiddled with his jacket, glancing away.

Lotte glared. “Gee, I feel loved.”

“Well who do you think it was?” Cavendish asked.

“You know I’m not the only one with a good memory here, right?” Lotte asked. The three agents raised a brow. “Yeah, Chip has an even better memory than me. He was always beating me at those memory games.”

“So, you think it was Chip?”

Lotte shrugged. “Well, it wasn’t me.”

“If only we knew someone Chip was close to, maybe someone he hangs out with. They might be able to tell us.” Cavendish said.

“Brick seemed pretty close to him—” Dakota started.

“No.” Savannah said sternly, startling the younger man.

“—Ok, maybe not ask Brick.”

Lotte snapped her fingers. “I got it! Agent Aiden Rosetti and Agent Jonah Olwen! They hang around Brick, who hangs around Chip. Maybe they know something about all of this?”

Dakota shrugged. “Best lead we got.”

**_–Meanwhile, in the 21 st Century–_ **

While Zack and Milo snuck out the door, Melissa exited the stage, making room for Joni to take her place while Lydia stepped forward on stage. _“~O-M-G, Brooke, answer me! Look, wait until I tell you what I saw.~”_

Joni made a face and tapped her phone. “Ignore.”

Lydia harrumphed. _“~And also space and frowny face…~”_ Lydia furiously typed at her phone screen, texting. “And I’m sorry that Jeremy made out with me at the party, but it was totally his fault and let’s not let boys ever come between us ever again, ok? Smiley face, lipstick, kitty paw!” Lydia placed her phone to her ear and bounced on her heels, impatiently, while Joni made a show of checking her phone slowly.

Zack and Milo came around the side entrance to the stage, making sure to be as quite as they could be. Thankfully, the worst Murphy’s Law got was the doorknob snapping off in Milo’s grip. Upon entering the auditorium proper, Zack and Milo dropped to their hands and knees and did an army shuffle towards where Mr. Draco and Principal Midler were.

“Isn’t it a bit weird for a play to have sponsors?” Mr. Draco whispered, not wanting to drown out his students performance.

“No weirder than our marching band having a plastic bucket player.” Principal Midler pointed out. Milo and Zack exchanged glances. Sponsorship?

“Hey.” Joni said.

“We cool?” Lydia asked.

“We are.” Joni said, in an ambivalent tone.

“Ok, so!” Lydia launched into her next part. _“~At the end of last night’s party, did you see Rich?~”_

“No, I was crying.”

_“~So he’s behaving weird and I was frightened, because I feared his state was heightened.~”_

_“~He’s gotta learn to not really smoke a lot, he shouldn’t get so high for a tiny guy!~”_ Joni sang before Lydia joined her for the next verse. _“~He’s gotta learn to not really smoke a lot, he shouldn’t get so high for a tiny guy!~”_

“Right, but he wasn’t high!” Lydia explained. _“~So you can’t blame the things he did on pot!~”_ She then faced her phone towards her, appearing to be video chatting. _“~It’s just so awful, so I’ll talk about it a lot!~”_

“Well then, it seems everything is in order.” Mr. Draco said.

“Excellent! I hope the children like Green Gush.” Milo and Zack’s blood ran cold while Mr. Draco made a face.

“Yeah we might have a slight problem there.”

**_–Meanwhile, in the year 2176–_ **

It took longer than the four time-travelers would like to admit for them to find either Jonah or Aiden. But after a bit of searching, they were able to find Jonah, the poor soul, who seemed pretty tore up about something when the four found him. Reeking of alcohol and pot. “Sweet sugar-fried Lord, Jonah, what the hell happened to you?” Lotte asked, with her usual level of decorum.

Jonah winced. “Not so loud, please.”

“Oh, sorry!” Lotte whispered.

“Still too loud…” Jonah moaned. Cavendish and Dakota winced.

“You don’t look so good, Jonah…” Cavendish said as quietly as he could manage.

“No kidding…”

“How did, well, _this_ ,” Savannah gestured to the man’s messed up state, “even happen?”

Jonah sighed heavily and slid to the floor. “I was just… trying to forget the pain…”

“Pain?” Savannah asked. “What pain?”

“Did you get caught in the fire?” Lotte asked, more curious than sympathetic.

“Fire?” Jonah mumbled. “No, I wasn’t anywhere near HQ last night.”

“Then where were you?” Cavendish asked.

“I was with… with… ugh!” The man sank even lower onto the ground, sobbing. The four other agents took a step back, not really prepared for this. “I was with _him_!” More sobbing, as Jonah curled in on himself.

“It’s like watchin’ a drunk noodle cry.” Dakota noted quietly.

Cavendish shot his partner a look. “Listen, Jonah, I understand this is a bad time for you—”

“I don’t know, he seems like he’s having a lot of fun.” Lotte interjected. Savannah and Dakota glared at her.

“—but I need to know if you saw or heard from Chip last night.”

“Chip?” Jonah sniffled. “He… he was with me and… and _him_ and… and Brick last night.”

“Where was that?” Savannah pressed.

“We went to some bar… I don’t remember.”

“Ok, what happened there?”

“And if you could tell us without crying on my boot, that would be awesome.” Lotte wrinkled her nose. Jonah sat up with a little help from Cavendish and Dakota.

“I went with Brick the Prick and Chip and… and…”

“Him?” The other four agents asked.

“Yeah, Aiden.” Jonah sniffled again, and Cavendish offered him a hankie out of pity. “Of course Aiden was hanging off of Brick’s every word, and I just couldn’t stand to watch it anymore, so I went outside to have my own fun. I drank a bit too much, I don’t remember what happened next.” Jonah seemed to scowl. “But the next thing I know, I’m in that asshole’s lap and Aiden is crying and won’t even look at me and—” A sound somewhere between a growl and a sob escaped Jonah’s throat.

“I think we get the picture!” Lotte said quickly, not really wanting to deal with anymore of Jonah’s emotions. “But, listen, as much as you need a shoulder or boot to cry on right now, we have more pressing matters.”

“Lotte!” Cavendish scolded. “Show some heart.” Lotte rolled her eyes.

Savannah placed a hand on Jonah’s shoulders. “Listen, this whole fire thing, we have an idea who might have done it, but we need to know what happened to that person. So, do you think you could tell us what happened to Chip after last night?”

“Chip?” Jonah asked. “I honestly don’t know. Last I heard he was being taken to the ICU during the early hours this morning. But so were a lot of other agents, so that doesn’t mean much.”

Dakota sighed. “Do you know if, uh, _he_ would know?”

Jonah moaned and placed his head in his hands. “Maybe…”

“Guess that’s our next lead.” Savannah said. “C’mon, guys, let’s go.”

Savannah began to lead the way, with Cavendish and Dakota in tow, but Lotte hung back. “I’ll catch up, ok!”

“Ok, just be quick!” Cavendish told her. As he turned to acknowledge her, he saw Lotte kneeling down and pulling something out of her pocket, handing it to Jonah.

**_–Meanwhile, at Play Rehearsal–_ **

_“~Rich set a fire and he burned down the house! Whoa!~”_ Lydia sang, Joni now stood up. Excited for the latest piece of gossip. _“~I thought I was dreaming, everybody was screaming!~”_

Milo and Zack couldn’t believe what they were hearing. The play was being sponsored? By Gush CO.? Did this have something to do with TICC’s? Were Verliezer and Rodney behind this?

“What do we do?” Zack asked Milo. “What does this mean?

_“~When Rich set a fire and he burned down the house!~”_

Milo frowned. “I… I don’t know…”

_“~When Rich set a fire and he burned down the house!~”_

Due to the loud music, the two friends didn’t hear the footsteps approaching them from behind.

**_–Meanwhile, in the year 2176–_ **

Aiden was, thankfully, easier to find. The four found the pink-haired man sulking outside, on the hood of his time vehicle. Now, Aiden was one of the most well-liked agents in the Bureau. Known for his friendly demeanor and just general approachability. So, imagine the surprise of the four agents when they found he man had a deep, angry scowl on his face.  

The four were contemplating if was really worth talking to him when Lotte sighed. “Oh, fuck this. Hey, Aiden!” The green-haired girl approached the pink-haired man.

The man in question glanced over and raised a hand. “Oh, hey. Lotte, right?”

“Yup!” Lotte sat down next to him on the hood of the car as her companions joined her. “Mind if we ask you something?”

Aiden’s nose wrinkled. “If you’re here to get me to talk to the ultimate Jackass, nice try. Half the agency’s already tried.”

“That’s not what we were tryin’ to do.” Dakota said. “But, I mean, the guy seems pretty messed up about… whatever happened.”

“Didn’t seem to messed up when he was in my boyfriend’s lap.” Aiden mumbled darkly.

“Did Blockhead just send us out to be goddamn marriage counselors to these two?” Lotte mumbled.

“Shush,” Cavendish told her, “Aiden, we came to ask where you were when the fire started.”

“Uh… I don’t know if I can tell you that.” Aiden shifted away from Lotte.

“Why not?” Savannah asked.

“Because… well, I could get in a lot of trouble for it…”

“Wait, were _you_ the one who started the fire?” Lotte asked, surprised.

“What? No! I wasn’t anywhere near the fire when it was started.”

“So, where were you?”

Aiden paused and then looked up at the four other agents. “If I tell you… do you guys promise to not tell Mr. Block?”

Lotte shrugged. “I never tell him anything, anyway, so no problem. Right guys?” Despite there friend’s obvious readiness to this, the other three agents were a bit wary. Aiden said he didn’t start the fire, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t trying to protect who did. Could they trust him?

“You… uh, ya promise ya didn’t start the fire?” Dakota asked.

“I swear on the Code of Conduct, I didn’t.”

“Wait, there’s a Code of Conduct?” Lotte asked.

“So, if you didn’t start the fire,” Savannah asked, ignoring Lotte, “what were you doing when the fire was started?”

“I… I… was about to go back and stop Brick, Chip, Jonah, and I from ever going out to drink!”

“What?!”

Aiden sat up, looking angry, sad, confused, and tired all at once. “I know, I know! It’s against the rules, but I was so angry last night. My best friend cheated on me with my boyfriend—and I don’t know what’s more upsetting about that! The fact that I didn’t trust Brick from the start and yet this still happened or that Jonah could just break my heart like that. I was… I just… I wanted a do-over…”

Dakota frowned and placed a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. “Nothing wrong with a do-over, right?” Aiden wiped a tear from his eye.

“Didn’t even get the chance to go, anyway. The fire started right before I could grab a time vehicle.” Aiden shook his head. “To think, I was with him a majority of the night… and then he burns down a building…”

“Who burned down the building?” Cavendish asked.

“Chip Wolowitz. You didn’t know?” The four shook their heads. “Yeah, I guess he snuck past all the guards and set the place on fire. I guess he set himself on fire too…”

“Really?” Dakota asked, horrified.

“Yeah, that’s how he ended up in ICU. I guess people saw him practically throw himself into the fire. Said he was acting funny beforehand.”

“What do you mean?”

Aiden shrugged. “I don’t know, I didn’t hear. My pal Sylvia from accounting saw the whole thing though. She told me he kept screaming for some drink, uh, Red Gush?”

“Red Gush?” Chorused Cavendish, Dakota, and Savannah.

“… _Red Gush_?” Lotte asked, sounding nervous.

“Yeah. I don’t know. It was taken off the market before any of us were born, I think.” Aiden reclined back onto the hood of his car. “Guess it must have been a good drink if Chip was thinking about it before he decided to become a literal _Human Torch_.”

Savannah frowned, “Guess we’ll never know.” She tuned to her companions. “Let’s go tell, Block. He’ll want to know about this.” The former first-class agent once again led the way, with Cavendish and Dakota following close behind.

“Thank you, for the help, Aiden.” Cavendish told him.

“Yeah… no problem…” Aiden sulked, scowl deepening.

“Yo, Lotte, you comin’?” Dakota asked. The green-haired girl waved her friend off.

“Relax, I’ll catch up in a bit.” Dakota nodded, but as he turned around, out of the corner of his eye he saw Lotte reaching into her coat pocket and pull something out. Aiden seemed quite intrigued by whatever it was.

**_–Meanwhile, at Play Rehearsal–_ **

Melissa rejoined Lydia and Joni at the front of the stage, along with the remaining cast who were also apart of the musical number. _“~Hey everybody, have you heard? Rich set a fire, now go spread the word!~”_

Lydia stepped in front of Melissa. “Sending a text!”

“Text!” The chorus responded.

“Sending a tweet!”

“Tweet!”

“Sending a text!”

“Text!”

“Tweet!”

“Tweet!”

_“~Release the information, step, and repeat!~”_

“I’ll spread the word!” Joni smiled gleefully, stepping in front of Melissa and Lydia.

_“~Woooord!~”_

“That Rich is squeaked!”

Lydia and Melissa, along with the other cast on stage gave Joni an odd look. “Squeaked?”

“No, I meant screwed.”

“Oh…”

“Did I say ‘squeaked’?

“Yeah…”

“Sorry guys, that’s just my autocorrect.”

_“~Always be aware of autocorrect~”_

**_–Meanwhile, in the year 2176–_ **

Block had taken the news that it was Chip who set the fire about as well as to be expected. Of course, when he learned that Chip was among the few agents who had been taken to the hospital, his mood had soured. More so than usual, anyway. Block, having to deal with at least five other high-ranking officials breathing down his neck over the ordeal, had ordered Gretchen to let the hospital know that Chip had to be placed in a maximum-security wing.

Gretchen, of course, pointing out that the man was probably still unconscious fell on deaf ears. So, she did as she was told. Meanwhile, the four agents were sent away with a half-hearted “Good job”. Dakota had gone off to go get some food for the four of them, Lotte had gone to make a few phone calls (“Some of my friends might be worried, y’know?” She said), Savannah had wandered off at some point, and Cavendish was left to wonder the new building that, until further notice, was to be the Bureau’s new office.

All in all, it was what he expected. A mostly open floor plan, a couple offices on the upper floors, and a bunch of old, rusty equipment leftover from whatever the heck this place used to be before the Bureau got ahold of it.

The break room near the back of the warehouse was a nice change of pace, Cavendish found. Somewhat cleaner than the rest of the building and seemingly stocked with a functional bending machine. True, it was mostly filled with Green Gush, but hey, it was the thought that counts right.

The mustached man thought he was alone, what with the lights still being off, unlike other rooms in the warehouse. That was until he heard a moan of pain. He glanced around the room and was kind of surprised to find Savannah sitting at a nearby table near the vending machine. Cavendish approached and knelt down beside her. “Savannah?”

She groaned and shushed him, though she sounded kind of weak. Cavendish frowned. “Am I correct to assume this is a migraine?” He whispered. Savannah nodded. “Hold tight.” The man approached the vending machine and, upon seeing that the only options were Green Gush and Bottled Watered, selected a bottle of Green Gush. He did a favor for his co-worker and opened the bottle and dropping it down. “Sorry, this is all they have, really.” Savannah shifted slightly and raised a brow at him. “It will help.”

“Thanks…” Savannah mumbled, taking a slow sip. Cavendish nodded before grabbing himself a bottle of water out of the machine.

“Do you need an aspirin?” He asked quietly, sitting across from Savannah.

“Just took one.” Cavendish nodded, taking a sip of his water as Savannah took a bigger sip of the Green Gush, only to wrinkle her nose in disgust.

“God this soda sucks.”

Cavendish shrugged, glancing at the vending machine. There was clearly an imbalance of Green Gush in the vending machine, with three and a half of the five rows being filled with nothing but the drink in question. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say there was a bias here.”

“I think in one timeline,” Savannah muttered, “this place used to belong to Gush. Co.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, they made some of the drinks here at the turn of the century.” Savannah explained. “Until this place fell under and they sold it to B.O.T.T for a pretty penny.”

Cavendish hummed in response. “Learn something new every day, it seems.” Savannah nodded and the two sat in fairly comfortable silence for quite some time. With Savannah, reluctantly, nearly finishing the bottle of Green Gush given to her. Then Cavendish noticed something.

With the only light being the dull one coming out of the vending machine, it was hard to miss at first. But there it was; a bright, neon green line running up and down Savannah’s arms and hands. Cavendish raised a brow. “Did you get a tattoo recently?”

“Hmm?”

“A tattoo? On your arm there.” Cavendish pointed to the spot and Savannah glanced down, eyes widening in surprise.

“What the—ah!” Savannah winced in pain, bringing a hand to her head.

“Are you ok?”

“How long has that been there?” Savannah asked. Cavendish shook his head.

“I just noticed it, so I assume not—”

“Well of course I’m concerned! There are green lines on my arm!” Savannah glared down angrily at her arm.

“I, uh, what?”

“Side-effect? What’d do you mean _side-effect_?!”

“I never mentioned anything about side-effects…”

“Get rid of it!” Savannah gestured angrily to her arm. “Now!”

“I don’t think I can do that—”

“I wasn’t talking to you,” Savannah snapped, “I was talking to—” Savannah was cut off. Slapping a hand, ironically the green one, over her mouth. It seemed, to Cavendish, that the woman was surprised that she did that. “I didn’t want to do that…” The woman muttered.

“Savannah, you’re starting to worry me.” The woman glanced up at Cavendish, and the man’s eyes widened in surprise. “Uh, Savannah, please tell me you wear color contacts and one of them just fell out.”

“Why?”

Swallowing, Cavendish pulled out his phone and turned on the selfie-camera before turning it to Savannah. The former-first-class agent gasped in shock when she saw that one of her eyes had changed color. Instead of its usual dark brown hue, her left eye was neon green. “How did this happen?” Her brows furrowed. “I didn’t want this.”

“I don’t blame you, but—”

“I didn’t want this, and you knew it!”

“I can assure you, I knew nothing of whatever is happening now!”

“I never wanted this—augh! Stop!” Savannah grasped her head, tipping over her chair in the sudden action. “Get out! Get out of my head!”

“Savannah!” Cavendish rushed to his companion’s side.

“It hurts, get out!” Savannah cried. “Get out!”

“Get what out? Me? Something else?” Savannah gritted her teeth, face turning red. She looked like she wanted to scream something, to shout something, to just open her mouth and let something out. But, for whatever reason, her mouth remained closed, almost as if she was forcing herself to keep it closed.

Cavendish was unsure of what to do. He knew he needed to do something, but he wasn’t sure what. There was no real protocol. If he had a moment to think, which Cavendish obviously didn’t, he would’ve found that this situation was eerily similar to what happened at the New Year’s Party.

Savannah groaned in pain, and effort, before finally choking out two words, _“Power. Down!”_ And it was like a switch was flipped. Savannah slumped to the ground, panting in exhaustion. Cavendish hovered beside her. _Is she alright? What just happened? What do I do? Who was Savannah talking to?_ Cavendish set a hand on her shoulder and Savannah looked up at him, horrified.

“I made a mistake.”

**_–Meanwhile, at Play Rehearsal–_ **

_“~R-I-C-H, can’t you see?~”_ The cast on stage sang, switching between singing to their phones and to the audience. _“~Just how much I care about your tragedy? Changed my profile pic to you, now I fully understand what you’re going through!~”_

**_–Meanwhile, in the year 2176–_ **

“Mistake?” Cavendish asked. “Savannah, what are you talking about?”

“I-I made a mistake and now I’m… Oh God, I don’t have that much time.” Savannah pushed herself to her feet. Albeit shakily. Luckily, Cavendish was there to steady her. Savannah turned to him. “Do you know where Lotte is?”

“Uh, no, I don’t. She kind of wandered off…”

“Good!”

“Good?”

“Don’t tell her where I went!” Savannah ordered. “Or when, for that matter.”

“Where you—Savannah what are you doing?!”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be right back.” She called, exiting the room. “I’ll explain everything when I get back.”

“Get back from where?” Cavendish called out but Savannah was already out of the room. The man shook his head, confused. “What the blazes just happened?” The mustached man glanced over at Savannah’s partially full bottle of Green Gush. Wrinkling his nose in disgust he walked over and threw it in the trash.

“Hey, Cavendish!”

“Great googley—Lotte!” Cavendish exhaled. “Don’t do that, scared me half to death.” Lotte smiled sheepishly.

“Sorry, I thought you heard me come in. So, what’cha doin’?”

“Just… relaxing I suppose.”

“That’s cool.” Lotte smiled. “Have you seen Savannah by any chance?”

Cavendish schooled his features. What were the odds that Savannah told Cavendish to not mention to Lotte she was going somewhere and then Lotte comes in and asks for her location? Probably small, but the coincidence didn’t escape Cavendish’s notice. “N-no, I haven’t. Why do you ask?”

**_–Meanwhile, at Play Rehearsal–_ **

_“~R-I-C-H, it’s a drag!~”_ The cast gestured between themselves. _“~I read, she read, they read you’re in a body bag!~”_

**_–Meanwhile, in the year 2176–_ **

Lotte shrugged. “I was looking for her. Wanted to give her this,” Lotte held up a large bottle of Green Gush, “Savannah said she was craving it. Figured I’d help a friend out. Y’know?”

Cavendish recalled how disgusted Savannah was when he gave her the drink a few minutes ago. “Uh, yes, quite.”

“Do you know where Savannah went?”

_Probably to a time machine._ “No, sorry, I haven’t.”

“Ok… So, this is just a hypothetical here, but, do you know _when_ she went?”

Cavendish stilled. While he really didn’t know when Savannah went, the fact that Lotte somehow knew to ask was alarming. “Now, what makes you think that’s an option?”

“I mean, we’re time travelers.” Lotte said. “It’s a probable theory.”

“Right, right.”

“So… Do you know when she went?”

Cavendish frowned. “No, I don’t. Apologies…” _Why is it so important that she knows? What does it matter if she doesn’t. Lotte’s one of your oldest friends, Savannah is someone who barely tolerates you. What does it matter?_

“Oh, damn. Real shame to let this bottle go to waste. Ice cold and refreshing and all.” Lotte’s face lit up. “Hey, why don’t you have it?”

**_–Meanwhile, at Play Rehearsal–_ **

_“~R-I-C-H, can’t you see? Just how much I love your tragedy?!~”_ The cast on stage squealed excitedly. Splitting up into separate groups, acting as if they were excitedly texting, calling, and video-chatting with each other.

_“Hi?”_

Milo and Zack’s frowns deepened. Gush Co. sponsoring was one (slightly strange) thing, but with everything going on it was another completely.

_“Hi!”_

Were they in danger? Were there friends in danger? Was the school in danger?

_“Hi!”_

Did anyone else drink Green Gush? Were they infected with a TICC? How were they supposed to handle that? Should they call Monty and let him know? Should Cavendish and Dakota be called again? Maybe Savanah? Or maybe Lotte knew something about all of this?

What were they supposed to do?

_“Hi!”_

A hand reached out and grabbed both Milo and Zack’s shoulders.

**_–Meanwhile, in the year 2176–_ **

“No, thank you, Lotte. I’m not really a fan of Green Gush. Besides,” he held up his water bottle, “I already have a drink.”

“ _C’mooon_ , I’m sure you’d like it if you try it!” Lotte twisted the cap off and held it out towards Cavendish.

“Uh, no, thank you, again. Like I said, I’m quite happy with my water.”

“I’m almost certain you’d be happier if you at least try Green Gush!” Lotte stepped towards Cavendish this time, almost into his own personal bubble, still holding out the drink.

“Lotte, I’m fine with my drink choice.”

The green-haired girl yanked the water bottle out of his hand and set it on the table. “Oh, don’t be such a fuddy-duddy, Cavendish. Give it a try!”

“Lotte, stop, I don’t want it.”

“Sure, you do just give it a chance!”

Lotte, no! I don’t—” Cavendish was cut off when Lotte suddenly, and quite literally, stepped on his toes. Making him flinch and effectively backing him into a corner. Lotte grabbed his tie, shoving the drink towards his mouth.

“Just—try it!”

“Lotte, stop!” Cavendish shoved his friend roughly, and then slapped the drink out of her hand. More as a reflex than anything but it was still effective. The plastic bottle clattered to the floor, spilling the contents onto the floor and onto Cavendish and Lotte’s shoes. The older man exhaled. “What was that? Why would you try to-try to _force me_ like that?!”

Lotte straightened her sunglasses. “What’s wrong with me?” The woman leveled a mighty glare from behind her sunglasses. “What’s wrong with _you_?! I didn’t want to do it, but I had no choice!”

“What could you possibly mean by that?”

“I was trying to help you! Y’know? Help you to relax more, Cavendish. Maybe if you did instead of acting like such an uptight, pansy ass, maybe Dakota might actually like you instead of feeling like your damn babysitter!”

The green-haired woman stormed away, leaving Cavendish to process the odd events. The man knew she was angry at him, despite she being clearly in the wrong. But the sudden doubt couldn’t be helped.

_Does… Vinnie really think of me that way?_ Cavendish thought. _Am I a burden to him?_

**_–Meanwhile, at Play Rehearsal–_ **

_“Yo?”_

Milo and Zack barely managed not to scream when they felt the hands grab there shoulders. It took a resounding follow up question from Bradley of “What are you two doing out here?” to get them to calm down.

_“Yo!”_

“We could ask you the same thing.” Zack whispered, not wanting to be spotted, or ruin his friends rehearsal.

“I saw you guys leaving and you two have been whispering about that guy in the suit for the past few verses.” Bradley explained. “And why are you two on the auditorium floor? You know they probably don’t clean this thing, right?”

“Yeah, we know.” Milo sighed.

“And we were fine ignoring it until you pointed it out.” Zack added.

“And to answer your question, we’re spying on that guy from Gush Co.”

“Gush Co.? Why is someone from Gush Co. here?”

“They’re sponsoring the play.”

“Why would we need a sponsor for the—never mind, I heard it as I said it.”

_“Yo!”_

“We think something bad is going to happened if Gush Co. gets involved in the school play.” Milo explained.

“What bad could come from a soda company sponsoring a school play?”

“A lot more than you would imagine.”

“Does this have something to do with Murphy’s Law?” Bradley asked disdainfully.

“Uh… I’m sure it’s not helping things but, no, not really.”

Bradley blinked in surprise. “Wait, really?”

_“Yo!”_

“The events that have been transpiring for the past few weeks have been largely out of our control.” Zack told him.

Bradley glanced over at the Gush Co. employee, who was smiling at the performance on stage. “Ok, on a scale of one to invading Russia in the winter, how bad are things going to get?”

Milo and Zack exchanged look, having a silent conversation between themselves before turning back to Bradley. “Somewhere between casting that guy from _The Terminator_ in a comedy to a literal zombie apocalypse.” Bradley frowned.

**_–Meanwhile, with Brick–_ **

Brick glanced around the parking lot, bag of chips in hand. His TICC informed him that Vinnie Dakota would be here, and Brick couldn’t be more excited. He was finally going to make his move! Of course, he had to find Vinnie first.

**_“Three more clicks forward, and then make a right.”_** His TICC informed him.

“Why clicks? We’re not on a boat.”

**_“Just keep walking, lover boy.”_** Brick rolled his eyes but complied, nonetheless. Soon after, he saw him. Vinnie Dakota was glancing down at his phone in confusion, looking as radiant as ever. Brick smiled. **_“You ready, big guy?”_**

“More than ready.”

**_“Alright. Open the bag of chips and eat a couple.”_** Brick did as he was told. **_“Good. Now, approach with a casual greeting and then offer some chips.”_** Brick walked towards Vinnie Dakota, heart beating a mile a minute. Thankfully, his TICC was able to get it under control. Slightly. A man in love or however that phrase goes, after all.

“Hey, Dakota.” The tracksuit wearing man glanced up, offering a small smile.

“Hey, Brick.”

“Want some chips?” Brick held out the snack bag. Dakota shook his head, frowning.

“No thanks, I’m not really that hungry right now.” Brick’s eyes widened in surprise. Dakota, it seemed, was always snacking on something.

“Ok, that’s fine.” Brick leaned against the wall, tossing a couple more chips in his mouth, watching Dakota out of the corner of his eye.

**_“Keep the conversation going, zuojo.”_ **

“Uh… what’cha looking at?”

“Lotte keeps textin’ me, askin’ if I know where Savannah is.” Dakota narrowed his eyes. “I keep tellin’ her that I don’t know, but it’s like she doesn’t believe me!”

“That’s… That’s rough, buddy.”

**_“Smooth, Brick. You’re a regular Casanova, aren’t you?”_ **

_That’s why I have you!_

**_“Fair point. Repeat after me: Why would Lotte even care about where Savannah is anyway?”_ **

“Why would Lotte even care about where Savannah is anyway?”

Dakota raised a brow. “Uh… cause they’re partners?”

**_–Meanwhile, at Play Rehearsal–_ **

_“S’up?”_

“What does this mean for the play?” Bradley asked, casting a wary glance towards the man from Gush Co. “What does this mean for us?”

“We don’t know, exactly…” Milo admitted.

_“S’up!”_

“What we do know is that it’s bad!” Zack added.

“Are you two and Melissa in trouble?” Bradley asked.

Milo and Zack frowned nervously and then nodded slowly.

_“S’up!”_

“Is anyone else in danger?”

“Maybe?”

Bradley sighed exasperatedly. “Is there anything we can do?”

“Milo and I know some people who might be able to look into this guy.”

“Ok, that’s good, but what about us?” Bradley gestured to himself and then the cast onstage.

_“S’up!”_

“What’d you mean?”

“Look, if we’re looking at a Murphy’s Law-mixed-with-a-zombie-apocalypse type of situation—”

“The zombie apocalypse part might be a bit of a reach.”

“—then we need to know if there is anything we can do to protect ourselves.”

_“FIRE!”_

“Best thing you can do? Do not drink any Green Gush. No limits or acceptations.”

“Done! That stuff tastes terrible anyway.” Bradley rolled his eyes. Zack glanced back at the Gush Co. employee and narrowed his eyes.

 “How would Gush benefit from this anyway?”

“Apart form the obvious, you mean?” Milo asked.

“Yeah,”

“No clue.”

_“Hey!”_

_“Ha!”_

“Exactly! It doesn’t make sense. Why would Gush sponsor a play in the first place?” Zack’s question got the wheels in Milo’s head turning. The boy glanced up to the stage and, from his seat on the floor, he could get a small glimpse of the prop table near the back wing of the stage. On it sat the green bottle that they had been using for the Mountain Dew bottle, filled with water dyed to look like the green drink, of course. After finding that soda was hard to clean up after a lighting-related Murphy’s Law incident, the cast and crew found that this was a safer, and frankly cheaper, replacement to the soda.

Wait.

Replacement. Soda. _Green Gush_!

“Oh no, they’re gonna replace all the regular Mountain Dew in the show with Green Gush!”

**_–Meanwhile, with Brick and Dakota–_ **

“Oh, right, partners. I forgot about that.” Brick smiled sheepishly.

“Right…” Dakota trailed off, stuffing his phone into his pocket.

**_“Repeat after me: How are your mission’s going?”_ **

“How are your mission’s going?”

“I mean… Renaissance Potty cleanin’ can get kinda annoyin’ at times, but I guess… I dunno.”

Brick smirked. ‘Shit happens?”

Dakota looked at him, amused but incredulous. “Did you just—” and he started to laugh. Brick prided himself on getting Vinnie Dakota to actually laugh. Unfortunately for Brick, the laughter didn’t last long. But at least Dakota was smiling at him. “That was a good one.”

The TICC made him shrug nonchalantly. “It just came to me.”

“I mean, I could do better but, for you? Not bad.”

“You think you can do better?” Brick smiled, challengingly.

“Oh heck yeah.”

“Prove it.”

“Nah, I don’t wanna.”

“Why not?”

“Cause I got other shit to worry about.” Brick face-palmed, laughing.

“That was bad.”

“C’mon, I’m just _sink_ ing to your level.” Brick laughed.

“That was worse.”

“Yeah, all this toilet humor kinda stinks…”

“Please stop, I believe you.”

“Aw, c’mon, I’m on a roll!” Both Brick and Dakota laughed at this one. Dakota even admitting in between breaths that the last joke was just bad, which just made Brick laugh more. Dakota smiled and raised a brow at Brick. “Ok, can I be honest with ya real quick?”

“Of course!”

“I never knew that you could well, y’know, _do that_.”

“Do what?”

“Make jokes… Laugh and just kind of be in the moment.” Dakota smiled. “It’s kinda nice.”

Brick felt himself blush, just a little bit. “R-really?”

“Yeah. You’ve been kinda, I dunno, _uptight_ lately. It’s kind of nice to see you relax and have some fun. Even if it’s under less than groovy conditions…”

“Did you seriously just say ‘groovy’?”

Dakota laughed and Brick’s heart fluttered. “I gotta live up to my aesthetic.”

Brick smiled at the curly-haired man. This was it. This was the moment he was waiting for. He was alone with Vinnie Dakota. No one else in sight, no missions, or partners to come in and mess this up. He could finally ask him, but, even with the TICC in his head…

“I just, don’t know what I’m supposed to say right now.”

**_“I have a few options that might be helpful.”_ **

But, before Brick could even consider those options, Dakota spoke up. “Just say what’s on your mind, Brick.”

**_–Meanwhile, at Play Rehearsal–_ **

_“Talk it, text it, pass it, talk it!”_ The cast said before ad libbing a few lines. The most notable among these were talks about how rich this story was, how they had to spread the word, and the like. Although, given the direction to by Mr. Draco, one boy had shout out “I hope Jake’s ok!”, which would lead into a pay-off in a later scene.

“Why would they replace the Mountain Dew with Green Gush?” Bradley asked.

Zack, being more aware of the entire situation, was quickly putting the pieces together. “TICC’s are activated by Green Gush—”

“What do ticks have to do with any of this?”

“—they’re going to replace all the Mountain Dew in the show with Green Gush—”

“Seriously, how did we get from talking about a possibly evil soda company hijacking a middle school play to talking about some invasive species?”

“—whoever’s behind this is going to try to TICC our friends during the play!” Zack exclaimed.

“Maybe whoever’s behind this is the reason Victor Verliezer and that Rodney guy were, uh, found the way they were this morning?” Milo suggested.

“And now that one tech giant’s involved in this. Wonderful. I’m completely confused.”

_“Whoaaaaa!”_ The cast on stage did the wave. Completely ignorant to the minor freak-out Milo and Zack were having.

**_–Meanwhile, with Brick and Dakota–_ **

Brick steeled his nerves, taking a deep breath. “Dakota, I think you’re really, uh, I guess, cool…”

“Oh, uh, thanks!” Dakota smiled good-naturedly. “I think you’re really cool too…”

Brick’s TICC was quick to squash any rising hope he had. **_“Vinnie Dakota doesn’t seem to understand what you mean by this. I advise you try again.”_**

“Wait, no, what I mean is… I think that you and I would make a good team! Of partners… I mean…”

“That’s nice and all, but I already got a partner.” Dakota smiled fondly.

**_“Try again on the partner angle,”_** His TICC informed him, **_“statistics say that’s your best angle right now.”_**

“Ok but, I was thinking a different kind of partner…” Brick trailed off expectantly(hopefully).

Dakota narrowed his eyes in confusion. “… A sparring partner?”

**_“You really know how to pick ‘em, don’t you, Brick?”_ **

_Hey, knock it off! It may be frustrating but he’s adorable, so it’s ok!_ “No, Dakota, I mean…” Brick sighed. How could he get this message across in a way Dakota would understand. _Any ideas?_

**_“Repeat after me: What I’m trying to say is—”_ **

“What I’m trying to say is…”

“Uh-huh?”

**_“—I admire you and I think—”_ **

“I… I admire you! And I think…”

“Yeah?”

**_“—that I would make a marginally better_ ** **partner _for you then Cavendish.”_**

“That I would make a better _partner_ for you then Cavendish.”

Dakota’s smile dropped almost instantly, an odd look appearing in his sun-glasses covered eyes. “What… what do you mean by that?”

**_–Meanwhile, at Play Rehearsal–_ **

_“Matches!”_ The cast shouted excitedly. _“Ashes!”_

“This is bad! This is very bad…” Zack frowned, running a hand through his hair.

“If wat happened to Victor and Rodney happens here than… oh boy…” Milo trailed off. Suddenly, a horrible thought occurred to Bradley.

“Uh… what if Green Gush doesn’t just make it into the play?”

_“Ready?”_

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that Mr. Draco is planning on having a small concession stand outside before, during, and after the play.” Bradley explained. “There will be a lot of foods, and drinks, for sale…”

_“Ok!”_

“And one of those drinks—” Milo started.

“—Could be—” Continued Zack.

“Green Gush!” The boys realized in unison.

“Exactly.” Bradley frowned.

“Our families… our friends… they’re all in trouble!”

“Things couldn’t get any worse…”

_“Here we go!”_ The cast huddled together in a formation on stage.

**_–Meanwhile, with Brick and Dakota–_ **

“Um, wh-what I mean is…” Brick stammered

**_“We are more compatible.”_ **

“We are more compatible!”

“Really?” Dakota raised a brow at him.

“Yeah… Uh…”

**_“I’m of a higher rank than Cavendish, so I match you in terms of experience.”_ **

“I’m of a higher rank than Cavendish, so I, uh, match you in terms of experience.”

Dakota’s eyes narrowed. Not out of confusion, though. “Is that so?” He asked, tone a bit harsh.

“Yeah, I mean, c’mon, Dakota.” Brick shrugged. “Cavendish is a… guy, but you and I are just a better match.”

“Give me one good reason on why I should believe that.”

**_“Because Cavendish doesn’t respect you the way I do. He doesn’t know you the way I do.”_ **

“Because Cavendish doesn’t respect you the way I do. He doesn’t know you the way I do.” Dakota’s eyes widened, appalled. “Here me out! He doesn’t respect your opinion, he treats you like crap, and is just a huge jerk to you 24/7!”

“And how is that any different than how you treat me _and_ Cavendish?”

Both the question itself and Dakota’s icy tone and expression caught Brick off guard. “Wh-what’d you mean?”

**_–Meanwhile, at Play Rehearsal–_ **

_“~Rich set a fire and he burned down the house! Whoa!~”_ Instead of singing along with everyone else on stage, she just simply screamed. _“~Rich set a fire and he burned down the house! It was so terribly gory, I got the whole bloody story!~”_ With Melissa, Lydia, and Joni leading the cast, they continued to sing. _“~Yeah, I wasn’t quite there. But, I know what happened, I swear!~”_

**_–Meanwhile, with Brick and Dakota–_ **

“I mean,” Dakota narrowed his eyes, “that even though Cavendish can be kinda persnickety from time to time, he treats me like an actual human being!”

“I never treated you like you weren’t.”

“You and Savannah are the reason Cav and I got demoted in the first place!” Dakota shook his head. “Honestly, I don’t understand what’s going on with you lately.”

**_–Meanwhile, at Play Rehearsal–_ **

_“~When Rich set a fire and he burned the house down! When Rich set a fire and he leveled the town!~”_

**_–Meanwhile, with Brick and Dakota–_ **

“You’ve been acting like such a… a… _cocky cock_!” Brick could feel his heart imploding. “One minute ya hate me, the next minute you act all jumpy ‘round me, then you insult my partner, and then ya say that you’re a better match for me, that you know me better? What is wrong with you?”

“I just… I thought we would make…”

Dakota narrowed his eyes. “What’s my favorite tv show?”

“Huh?”

“You say you know me better than Cavendish. Prove it. What’s my favorite tv show?”

**_–Meanwhile, at Play Rehearsal–_ **

_“~When Rich set a fire and he fled to Bombay!~”_

**_–Meanwhile, with Brick and Dakota–_ **

“Um…”

“Where did I grow up?”

“Uh…”

**_–Meanwhile, at Play Rehearsal–_ **

_“~When Rich set a fire cause he knew he was gay!~”_

**_–Meanwhile, with Brick and Dakota–_ **

“On a perfect day, what would I want to do?”

“You would want to…”

**_–Meanwhile, at Play Rehearsal–_ **

_“~When Rich set a fire and he melted his head!~”_

**_–Meanwhile, with Brick and Dakota–_ **

“What was I afraid of when I was growing up?”

“You were, uh…”

**_–Meanwhile, at Play Rehearsal–_ **

_“~When Rich set a fire and he’s totally dead!~”_

**_–Meanwhile, with Brick and Dakota–_ **

“What’s my favorite food?”

“Pistachios!” Brick answered without thinking. Dakota shook his head.

**_–Meanwhile, at Play Rehearsal–_ **

_“~When Rich set a fire and he burned down the house!~”_

**_–Meanwhile, with Brick and Dakota–_ **

Dakota knew he wasn’t being fair to Brick, but he couldn’t help it. Brick insinuating something about himself and Dakota was one thing, insulting Cavendish in that same breath was something else entirely.

Cavendish knew the answer to all these questions because they talked, they connected, they learned to trust each other. Cavendish knew the answers to almost all of Dakota’s questions, like Dakota knew almost all the answers to Cavendish’s. Brick didn’t know any of the answers, he didn’t even know which questions to ask.

“Ok, what’s my favorite color?”

**_–Meanwhile, at Play Rehearsal–_ **

_“~Burned it down! Whoa!~”_ The cast danced gleefully on stage. _“~Yeah, yeah, yeah! Did ya hear? Did ya hear? Burned it down! Whoa!~”_ Melissa, Lydia, and Joni took center stage, obviously as the ones who unleashed the gossip in the first place. _“~Did ya hear? Did ya hear? Yeah, yeah, yeah! Burned it down! Whoa! Did ya hear? Did ya hear?~”_

**_–Meanwhile, with Brick and Dakota–_ **

“Favorite… color?” Brick couldn’t answer the question. _Help me!_ He begged his TICC.

**_“I… I can’t…”_ **

_Why not?!_

**_“My information is limited to what you and others close to you know.”_ **

_Are you telling me that you, a god damn super-computer, don’t know the answer to a simple question?!_

**_“I… My apologies Brick.”_ **

Brick shook his head, unable to answer even the simplest of questions about the man he loved. Vinnie Dakota shook his head, having all the proof he needed. “I’ll… Bye, Brick.” The finality in the man’s tone shattered whatever was left of Brick’s heart.

**_–Meanwhile, at Play Rehearsal–_ **

_“~That Rich set a fire and he burned down the—Rich set a fire and he burned down the—Rich set a fire and he burned down the house!~”_

The majority of the cast on stage shuffled backwards, leaving Melissa, Lydia, and Joni at the center. “He told me because he’s my best friend!”

**_–Meanwhile, with Brick–_ **

Brick watched Dakota leave, unable to do anything about and his TICC was dong nothing. The first-class agent leaned heavily against the wall and then slid to the floor. He had it. Brick had the perfect opportunity to talk to, charm, and possibly even win over Vinnie Dakota. He had it… and then he blew it. Not only did he blow it, he _majorly_ blew it.

Brick would be lucky if Vinnie Dakota ever looked at him again, let alone talk to him. Wiping away the tears the pricked at the corner of his eyes, the first-class agent choked down an angry sob.

**_“Brick, please, calm down. You’ll dehydrate yourself.”_ **

Brick stopped crying. For the first time in a long time, he knew it was of his own free will, his own doing. He narrowed his eyes at the floor. Chip had told him that TICC’s were all knowing. That TICC’s knew every single statistic and probability and would account for it, that they would account and play towards a favorable outcome for there host. Yet…

“Why didn’t you know?”

**_“Pardon?”_ **

“You didn’t know the answer to any of Dakota’s questions. How? Why?” A sob threatened to escape Brick’s throat, but he shoved it down. “You’re supposed to know everything!”

**_“Brick I am a super-computer. I might know everything, but I was made by man. Therefore, I have the capacity for error.”_ **

“Yeah, that was some error back there!” Another thought occurred to Brick. “And why did you make me insult his partner like that?”

**_“I had believed that saying those things would set you on a path to winning Vinnie Dakota’s affections.”_** His TICC stated, as if Brick’s life wasn’t imploding around him at this very moment. **_“Besides, Brick, it’s not like you hold any favorable feelings towards Balthazar Cavendish.”_**

“That’s not the point!”

**_“Then what is the point, Brick?”_ **

The first-class agent crumpled the bag of chips in his hand in an attempt to vent some anger. It helped, but not much. “The point is the only reason I decided that this whole thing was a good idea was that you said you would help me get Dakota!”

**_“And I can help you! I can still get him to do whatever you want, I just need you to—”_ **

“To what?” Brick scoffed. “ _Upgrade?_ I already did that and look at me! Savannah doesn’t trust me, Chip’s in the E.R., I lead Aiden on, then he and Jonah got into a fight, and Dakota can’t stand my guts!” Brick hugged his knees close, tears starting to drip form his eyes. “Some help you were…”

**_“I’m sorry Brick, but the events that occurred were just simple… accidents. Mistakes caused by human error, if you will.”_ **

**_–Meanwhile, at Play Rehearsal–_ **

_“~Rich set a fire and he burned down the house! Send-end!~”_ The cast dispersed, leaving only Melissa, Lydia, and Joni on stage to strike there final pose. Applause from both in the audience and in the wings erupted.

Melissa smiled at Lydia and Joni. “You guys were awesome!”

“So were you!” Lydia told her.

Mr. Draco and Principal Midler stepped forward, followed by a man in a pea green dress shirt and black shoes. Melissa raised a brow. _Who’s the suit?_ Behind the approaching trio of adults, Melissa noticed Milo, Zack, and Bradley huddled together on the ground, practically hidden behind the rows of seats. _What the…?_

The teacher and principal went on to congratulate the group on a good performance, they began to introduce the man as Frank Gryns, a representative of Gush Co. The man in question went onto say that Gush Co. would be sponsoring the school play. This, under normal circumstances, would’ve ben good news. Odd news, but good news, nonetheless. Now they could afford to fix some of Murphy’s Law’s greater messes, and maybe increase the show’s special effects budget by a couple more dollars.

That’s when Melissa noticed it. Frank Gryns, a man who was working for Gush Co., had neon green eyes. Memories of Monty’s texts to her, there meet-up, and then what had happened to Verliezer and Rodney this morning came flooding back.

As Frank Gryns went onto explain that the only condition for the money was that the kids use Green Gush in the play, and that it be offered at concession stands for the show, Melissa met Milo and Zack’s eyes.

One shared look, one silent conversation between the trio of friends, was enough to confirm Melissa’s fears. Her castmates on stage cheered at the good news, eagerly talking about what they might be able to do with this money among themselves.

Melissa suddenly felt very sick.

**_–Meanwhile, with Brick–_ **

“Mistake?”

**_“Yes, Brick.”_** His TICC assured him. **_“Just a simple mistake.”_**

It seemed, for the first time since getting a TICC, Brick saw everything clearly.

“This whole idea was a mistake… The TICC, trusting Chip, everything…” Brick ignored how loudly his TICC began to buzz, almost as if the machine itself was panicked. “A big mistake…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all I would like to thank all of you for sticking with this story as long as you have. It’s hard to believe that a little over a year I was first publishing it. And now look at us! Four chapter from the end, plot starting to wrap up, and the whole shebang! As a sort of unplanned celebration of this story turning a year old, have the literal longest chapter I’ve probably ever written for any story, ever.
> 
> Seriously, 15521 words and 41 pages. That’s how long this chapter is. Did I plan on this? No. Will I complain? Only a little. Cause while awesome, this was a pain to write.
> 
> Now, I have no idea when I’ll be able to update next. My new schedule for this semester is crazier than the last, and it shows no signs of slowing down. I have a sort of regular system worked out to where I can work on both homework and stories in a given day before and after certain classes, but it’s not set in stone.
> 
> It also stands to mention that I am trying a new technique to combat a problem that occurs whenever I get close to finishing a story. Basically, I am trying to finish up writing Story A (this one) while also starting to work on the story I plan to focus on once this is over (Story B) if you will. It’s worked well so far, I got this behemoth of a chapter out of it anyway.
> 
> The long and short of it is, while I have a few systems worked out, I don’t know when I’ll be able to update next. I honestly wouldn’t expect one until after summer starts, and even then I am being generous. But don’t worry, dear readers, I will finish this story! And I am super excited for what’s to come. We are nearing the end, after all.
> 
> Again, thank you so much for supporting and loving this story for over a year! You all mean the world to me. Don’t forget to comment and tell me what you think and I will see you guys next time!

**Author's Note:**

> This is the psychotic brainchild of reading to many Dakavendish fics during breaks at school, listening to the Be More Chill album on repeat for two weeks, and a certain post on tumblr that suggested a gay redemption arc for Brick. You're welcome, fandom!


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